


hate you in the best kind of way

by bubblez4u



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Love/Hate, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-08-08 10:59:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7755085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblez4u/pseuds/bubblez4u
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Do you believe in hate at first sight? Tobin and Christen teeter on the line between love and hate as they figure out their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Hate Your Lopsided Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the chapters are going to be set up with what's going on present day with a flashback interjected in italics. There's going to be a element that connects the flashback to the present and it'll be pretty easy to figure out if you look at the chapter titles. With that, I want to say that I will defend Christen Press until I die. Nothing but love for my red, white, and blue.

"Kelley, give it back!" Christen whined.

"Nope, not until you admit it," Kelley said as she waved Christen's left cleat around above her head.

"I already said it four times!" Christen exclaimed as she lunged forward to try and grab the shoe.

Kelley might not be the tallest girl, but her agility and speed have allowed her to keep Christen's boot out of her reach for a solid 10 minutes.

"I can't hear you," Kelley sung as she started to walk toward the field where the rest of the team was gathering for practice.

Christen had been the last one off the bus which meant she was the last one to lace up. Jill always allows a 30 minute window for warm ups because she knows that press and media commitments are always pulling players in and out, so Christen took her time gearing up. She sat down on the team bench and slid her foot into her cleat. Christen noticed that a few of the girls had already started stretching and was about to join them when she looked around and realized her left cleat was missing. She sighed as she thought she probably kicked it under the bench while putting her other shoe on. She got down on all fours and poked her head under the bench, but couldn't find it. Confused, she got up and placed her hands on her hips. Christen was ready to go into the locker room and borrow someone's extra pair when her fellow Stanford alum walked up to her.

"Looking for this?" Kelley asked with a smirk.

After spending years with the freckled player, Christen knew this was bound to be another one of her practical jokes and berated herself for not seeing it coming.

Cue the next 10 minutes.

"Alright, alright," Christen grumbled.

Her uneven footing caused her to hobble when she walked over to where Kelley was standing.

"Kelley, if I were to hook up with anyone on this team it would, most certainly, without a doubt, be-"

Christen is cut off by a quick hand that appears out of nowhere and plucks her shoe from Kelley's grasp before handing it back to her.

"Your shoe, my queen," Tobin says dramatically as she kneels down onto the grass and holds Christen's shoe in front of her.

"Tobin, Christen was just about to confess her undying love for me for the fifth time! You're no fun," Kelley huffed as she ran to the center of the field after realizing her prank had been killed.

"Thanks, Heath," Christen said, annoyance evident in her voice.

"Anything for you babe," Tobin winked as she followed Christen back to the bench so she could finally put her left shoe on.

Christen rolled her eyes as she sat down on the bench and hoped that Tobin would take her silence as a hint to leave.

Unfortunately, Tobin is oblivious and doesn't sense that she's not welcome. She takes a seat next to Christen and leans back with her arms stretched behind her head.

"Thank god I saved you from Kelley, huh? Otherwise she would've heard my name at the end of that sentence and that would've been awkward," Tobin said as she slyly slipped an arm around Christen.

Christen felt herself tie her laces a little tighter than she meant to. She turned to Tobin and shrugged the midfielder's arm off of her body.

"How many times do I have to say this? Don't call me babe and don't touch me," Christen said as she got up from the bench.

"Why not?" Tobin pouted.

"Because I have a girlfriend," Christen said in a matter-of-fact way. She tightened her ponytail before walking toward the field.

"So, what I'm hearing is that you like me?" Tobin yelled as she jogged past Christen and turned around as she kept pace with the forward while walking backward.

"You're going to trip," Christen said completely ignoring Tobin's question. Christen knew well that Tobin was the most coordinated member on the team and she would probably die before tripping over her own feet.

"That wasn't a no," Tobin's smile grew and Christen couldn't help but crack a smile too.

"In your dreams," Christen said as she playfully shoved Tobin.

Tobin stopped walking abruptly causing Christen to be much closer to the older girl than expected. Tobin grabbed onto Christen's arms and brought her body a little closer.

"Every night," Tobin whispered with a sparkle in her eyes.

Christen felt the intensity of Tobin's stare and the weight of her words wrack a tremor through her body. She felt her cheeks burn and she averted her eyes to the ground.

"We should go," Christen stuttered and tried to walk away, but Tobin pulled her back.

"Wait! You forgot something. Close your eyes," Tobin said.

"Wh-" Christen started.

"Just do it," Tobin coaxed.

Christen felt her heart beat faster and her instincts were telling her to run, but something compelled her to listen to Tobin, so she fluttered her eyes shut. Christen's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a liquid substance cover her cheek. She shot her eyes open just to see Tobin standing in front of her with a bottle of sunscreen in one hand and a small pool of the white substance in the other. She looked taken aback by Christen's sudden movements and Christen could tell because her mouth was in the shape of an o, like how it usually was when she was confused or focused or in awe.

"You looked a little red," Tobin said sheepishly.

The red from Christen's cheeks spread to the rest of her face and she was infuriated. She snatched the bottle from Tobin's hands and trudged over to where Julie was talking to Alyssa, leaving Tobin on the sidelines. All Tobin could see was Christen exchanging a few words with Julie before the blonde took the sunscreen into her own hands and started applying it on Christen.

Christen could still feel Tobin's eyes on her so she glanced over at Tobin who was still stuck at her spot on the sidelines. She was met with a lopsided smile and an awkward wave.

 

_"Get your own waffle, Kelley!" Tobin yelled as she swatted the defender's fork away from her plate._

_"That's not fair! You didn't even make that, Alex did because you always wake up late," Kelley fired back._

_"Then get yourself a better roommate, O'Hara," Tobin said as she stuffed her mouth with another bite of waffle._

_"You hear that, Moe? You suck!" Kelley yelled at the younger girl who was currently in line getting her own breakfast. She flicked Kelley off with a smile before returning to the buffet._

_Tobin and Kelley laughed at their seats as they finished their meal before the regular morning team meeting. After some small talk the duo sat in comfortable silence as they waited for Alex to join them and complete their trio. Tobin was getting up to throw her trash away and Kelley was texting somebody when Tobin heard the hotel doors slide open. Human nature forced her to look at the person walking through the door and she couldn't help what came out of her mouth._

_"Woah, Kel. Who's that?" Tobin asked as she pointed to the brunette walking into the hotel lobby. Tobin's jaw fell open as she saw the brunette run her hand through her dark hair and started looking around as if she was expecting somebody. Her face brightened as she spotted Jill Ellis walking towards her with open arms. The girl put the backpack slung on her shoulder on the ground before giving Jill a quick hug._

_Kelley looked up from her phone and let out a high pitched noise. She abandoned the fruit salad she was working on and ran over to the girl before wrapping her up in a hug that lifted her off the ground. The two started talking animatedly and Jill decided to let the two catch up as she walked away._

_Tobin was in shock. The girl looked like she was straight out of a magazine. She was wearing dark skinny jeans coupled with a sleeveless crop top that allowed a slight sliver of skin to peep through. She had a pair of Ray Ban's hanging from her shirt and the Nike's on her feet gave Tobin a strong feeling she would be seeing a lot more of this girl. Curiosity got the best of her and she walked up to Kelley and her friend to introduce herself. Luckily, Kelley had that part covered._

_"Christen, this is Tobin Heath. She's a midfielder for us. Tobin, this is Christen Press. She played with me at Stanford and she finally got the call up!" Kelley said enthusiastically._

_"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Christen smiled and stuck out her hand for Tobin to shake._

_Tobin was mesmerized by her smile. It was like the simple gesture changed the girl's entire being. She went from quiet and unreadable to radiating happiness. Her smile reached her eyes and made Tobin feel fuzzy on the inside. Those eyes. They were a deep green color that swirled with emotion and she felt herself getting lost in the emeralds._ _Tobin took Christen's hand and flashed her a lopsided smile. Christen looked at her funny after a few seconds when Tobin hadn't stopped shaking her hand. Tobin cleared her throat and dropped Christen's hand before using her eyes to signal Kelley for help._

_Kelley had a look in her eyes that Tobin couldn't place, but if she saw the awkward exchange between the two, she didn't say anything. Kelley was clearly excited for her friend and jumped in to relieve the uncomfortable air Tobin had managed to create. She started talking about Stanford and Sweden and the upcoming week which effectively directed Christen's attention back to her. Tobin managed to stay completely mute during Kelley and Christen's entire conversation. She usually wasn't one to stay quiet when meeting new people. Her natural charm had most strangers falling at the chance to get to know her and she loved getting the chance to hear other people's stories. But when it came to Christen, she decided it was best to let Kelley act as common ground until she got to know the younger girl better._

_"Christen, did you have any breakfast? How was your flight? Let's find out who you're rooming with!" Kelley dragged Christen by her wrist over to one of the staff who was holding the roommate assignments for camp. She asked for the clipboard and started flipping through the papers._

_"Looks like you're rooming with Julie! She's great, you're going to love her," Kelley started as she saw Julie in line for food._

_"Hey, there she is now! Julie!" Kelley screamed across the lobby trying to get her attention, earning her a few dirty looks from the hotel staff._

_She rolled her eyes and shoved the clipboard into Christen's hands._

_"Wait right here, I'll go get her! Be back in a second," Kelley said as she ran over to the buffet, dodging a few of her teammates and other hotel guests._

_Christen stood in the lobby and chuckled to herself. Kelley hadn't changed one bit. Christen knew from her college days that Kelley had never been able to sit still and whenever she got excited she couldn't contain it. She had to express her feelings whether that be through playing soccer or bouncing off the walls and screaming it from the rooftops. It was one of her favorite things about the forward turned defender and Christen had to admit, she had really missed her friend._

_"I think you forgot something," a voice came from behind her._

_Christen turned around and saw Tobin standing there with her backpack._

_"Oh, thank you! I just got here and Kelley already has me disoriented," Christen said as she grabbed the backpack from Tobin._

_"No problem. Good luck with that, I'm pretty sure I overheard her talking about switching bus buddies so she could sit next to you," Tobin laughed as she stuck her hands into her pockets._

_"Yikes," Christen smiled. They were already bonding over teasing their mutual friend behind her back. Tobin knew this was the start of something special._

_"So I was wondering if I could get your number," Tobin asked as she withdrew her phone from her pocket and gave it to Christen._

_Christen took the phone in her hands and raised an eyebrow at Tobin's blunt request._

_"I mean, I can't not have my future wife's phone number, right?"_

_Christen's eyes widened and she was rendered speechless. She crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes when she saw Tobin enjoying the moment. It bothered her that Tobin was able to get under her skin so easily._

_"That's a bold statement considering you met me 15 minutes ago."_

_"What can I say? I'm a very ambitious person. When I see something I want, I go after it," Tobin took a step toward Christen._

_"What makes you so sure I'm going to be your future wife?" instead of taking a step back like Tobin expected her to, Christen stepped forward to meet Tobin's challenge._

_"Because you're still here and you're still talking to me," Tobin said smugly._

_"Has anyone told you that you're really straight-forward?" Christen challenged._

_"Has anyone told you that you're gorgeous?" Tobin fired back._

_Christen rolled her eyes, "I appreciate the offer, but I have a girlfriend."_

_"I can wait, we have a lot of time," Tobin said._

_"Yeah, don't be too sure about that. This is my first call up and it could be my last," Christen said gently and looked at her shoes. It took Tobin a few seconds to piece the puzzle together. She knew that feeling; she could tell that Christen had allowed something to dictate her confidence. Insecurity._

_"Hey, I've seen you play. I know what you can do. You're magic on that field Christen and nobody can take that away from you, okay? This may be your first camp, but it sure as hell isn't going to be your last," Tobin reassured as she dipped her head to catch Christen's eyes._

_There were a lot of things going through Christen's mind. Who does this girl think she is? She was frustrating and annoying and egocentric. Christen questioned how Kelley could be friends with someone like her. But as much as Christen hated to admit it, Tobin's words made her feel safe. And nobody had made her feel like that in a long time._

_"Promise?" Christen asked, her voice small._

_"I promise," Tobin had to bite her lip to stop the smile forming on her face._

_Christen looked at Tobin and gave her a small smile. She rolled her eyes and looked down at the phone in her hands. She unlocked the device and put in her number. When it came time to choose a contact photo, she had an idea. She raised the phone up to eye level and started fixing her hair in the camera. It looked like she was ready to snap the picture when she swiftly moved behind Tobin and brought the phone in front of the pair. She had her chin resting on Tobin's shoulder as she planted a quick kiss to Tobin's cheek and clicked the shutter button. She stepped back to examine the photo and almost burst out laughing at Tobin's shell shocked face. She smirked at the result and handed Tobin her phone back._

_"I can play this game too you know," Christen said victoriously as she saw Tobin's eyes glaze over._

_"Hi. Christen, right? It's so nice to finally meet you! Kelley's told me so much about you. She also managed to spill Moe's breakfast all over her so that's why I was so late coming over here," Julie's voice got closer as she walked over to Christen and Tobin._

_"That was totally her fault! Who holds their plate like that anyway?" Kelley exclaimed as she ran toward the group._

_Kelley and Julie decided to take Christen up to her room so she could get settled and then come back down to meet the rest of the team. Tobin watched as her two friends dragged Christen to the elevator._


	2. I Hate When You Say Those Three Words

**"It's the 91st minute and the US is still scoreless against Sweden. Looks like the US just couldn't- Oh, it's a smart ball in and it finds Christen Press 30 yards out. She gets past her first defender- beats her second- can you believe it, a third defender is down! She's in the box, she has space...that's it! Christen Press finds the back of the net with less than a minute left! The disappointment is written all over the Swedish players. The US is up one as Sweden looks for a quick restart- and that's the final whistle, the US takes this one!"**

The team makes its way to the locker room, jerseys swinging around in the air and hugs all around. Christen was being bombarded with high fives and congratulations as she made her way over to her locker.

She saw Tobin waiting by her locker and Christen opened her arms, letting Tobin wrap her up in a tight hug. Everything disappeared when she heard her favorite silky voice whisper three simple words into her ear.

 

_"Don't be nervous, you're going to be great," Kelley said as she and Christen walked out of the locker room. Christen turned to Kelley and smiled. Kelley threw her arm around Christen's shoulders and the two walked out of the stadium tunnel._

_Christen's palms were growing sweaty as she walked out into the open sky. This was her first training day with the team and she was scared. For the next few weeks, Christen would be playing with the best the world had to offer. She had worked all her life for this and the spot was hers to lose. Not to mention Kelley had been talking her up since she got here and she didn't want to disappoint._

_She watched some of her teammates run around squirting each other with water while a few seemed to be talking strategy with the coaches._

_One person in particular caught her eye. Tobin was standing 20 yards in front of her on the left side of the field with Alex, presumably warming up. They were passing the ball back and forth when Tobin broke out her fancy feet and managed to nutmeg the forward. Alex looked offended as she turned around and ran after the ball. Tobin was clearly amused. She threw her head back laughing and her hands tugged at the bottom of her training tank top. Christen probably watched her for a minute too long._

_She felt a small tap against her leg. She looked down and saw a soccer ball lying at her feet. She looked to her right and was about to ask Kelley if it belonged to her, but Kelley had already vanished. Christen hadn't even noticed when she left and was about to go off hunting for the girl when Alex jogged up to her._

_"Sorry, Press, didn't mean to hit you. Tobin just likes to mess around with the ball before practice, but you've been watching her for the last five minutes so you probably already guessed that," Alex smirked as she grabbed the ball and ran back over to Tobin._

_Christen's eyes widened and she felt her face heat up. Practice hadn't even started and she had already managed to make a bad impression on the team's star player._

_She coughed a little to clear her throat and looked around to make sure nobody had witnessed the awkward exchange. She spotted Kelley playing a game of keep away with a small group and walked over to join them._

_"Alright girls, let's start off with a little freestyle scrimmage. Tobin, you're pennies. Ali, you're shirts. Let's get moving," Jill said as she dropped a pile of mesh pennies on the floor and walked off the field. She rejoined the rest of the staff on the sideline bench._

_The team had gathered around the center of the field when Jill beckoned for practice to begin. The rest of them watched as Tobin and Ali stepped forward._

_Christen was standing near the back with Kelley, trying to get into the rhythm of things._

_"So, this is like picking dodge ball teams in high school all over again?" Christen whispered to Kelley._

_"Don't worry, nobody's going to judge you if you get picked last. It's your first camp, they'll cut you some slack," Kelley said behind her hand._

_"Alright Kriegs, pick your poison," Tobin said to Ali as she grabbed a penny from the ground._

_"Ash," Ali said sweetly as Ashlyn joined Ali. The rest of the team rolled their eyes at the obvious choice while Kelley opted for the ever mature gagging noise._

_It was Tobin's turn to pick and she brought a finger up to her chin, pretending to think about her choice. Tobin's pick, like Ali's, has always been predictable. It always went Alex, Kelley, and then whoever was nice to her that week. Alex smiled and started walking toward Tobin before being picked._

_"Christen."_

_Alex froze. Everyone turned to look at Christen, even Kelley. Kelley couldn't help her surprised face as she turned to look at her friend. Christen looked like a deer in the headlights as she quietly shuffled her way over to Tobin, who was wearing a lazy smile._

_"Oh, hell no-" Alex brought her hand up in the air and advanced toward Tobin. Kelley ran over to Alex and dragged her to the back of the group as everyone tried not to laugh. Tobin rolled her eyes at her best friend and motioned for Ali to make her next pick._

_Christen stood behind Tobin and looked at the ground. Tobin didn't look or speak to Christen once she picked her. After Christen, Tobin picked her team like she would have on any other day, Alex second followed by Kelley third. She continued building her team and when she had her last player, she told her group to walk over to their side of the field so they could discuss strategy. They began to swarm the pennies on the ground and before Christen could get one, they were all gone. She huffed and began to walk toward her assigned team._

_"Come on, Chris! Time to show everyone how Stanford does it!" Kelley yelled as she ran past Christen and over to their team. Christen shot Kelley a short lived smile and took her time making her way over to the group._

_"You're not going to let me down, right striker?" Tobin teased, popping up next to her. She matched Christen's strides and the two walked over to their team side by side. She was pulling a penny over her body and held one out for Christen._

_Christen didn't respond. She just took the penny out of Tobin's hand and looked down at her cleats._

_"Hey, I didn't pick you to spare your feelings," Tobin said as she stopped Christen from walking any further, "I picked you because I believe in you."_

_Christen took one look into Tobin's eyes and relaxed. She felt herself searching the midfielder's eyes for something and got lost in counting the gold flakes scattered among the brown orbs. Her nerves subsided and a smile slowly tugged at her lips._

_"Thanks," Christen said quietly._

_Tobin flashed Christen a giant smile and patted her on the back before running over to the rest of team. Christen followed closely behind and joined the team huddle. She shoved herself right in between Kelley and Tobin, her hands on each of their backs._

_Christen tried to listen to what Tobin was saying about using the flanks and how the other team's holding midfielders were a weak spot, but she couldn't concentrate. She thought she sensed someone looking at her and when she looked across the huddle, she saw Alex's cold blue eyes staring her down. Christen made eye contact with the forward and expected her to look away once she realized she had been caught, but Alex held her ground. Christen was intimidated and slowly moved her hand off Tobin's back as she looked at anything else besides Alex. She squirmed under Alex's gaze and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the huddle broke._

_Both teams took their positions on the field. Alex and Christen were up top with Tobin directing the midfield and Kelley anchoring the defense. As soon as the whistle blew, Christen was off. She pushed away her doubts and cleared her mind. She remembered why she was here and what she was here to do. She was here to win. She was here to show Jill why she deserved a spot on this team._

_The first half buzzed by quickly with both teams battling head to head. Kelley had fouled Kling at least twice and Crystal had crept up behind Tobin's back line a handful of times. The competition was pretty even until Tobin changed her strategy. She had the defense push as high as they could and pass her the ball on the flank. She sent in cross after cross hoping one of them would find the back of the net. Tobin grew frustrated as Ashlyn blocked shot after shot. A few minutes later, she found the ball at her feet. She was half way up the field and saw Alex creeping her way behind Ali's defense. Tobin examined the situation and saw Christen unmarked on the right flank. Christen had had plenty of opportunities to score as well, but every shot either went wide or hit the post._

_Tobin made her way to Christen and when it looked like she was about to pass the forward and send another cross into the box, she dropped the ball at Christen's feet. Christen's body moved automatically once she had the ball. She juked out her defender and passed the ball to Tobin who was waiting just outside the box. Christen ran off to take her position and Tobin ran to end line as Ashlyn started organizing her defense. Ali's team scrambled because they knew exactly what Tobin was about to do. They saw Alex floating near post and realized that this was one of the pair's signature runs. They had done it time and time again, Tobin would send a perfect ball in across the face of the goal and Alex managed to bury it with one body part or another. Ali took it upon herself to mark Alex and just when Tobin reached the end line, about to cross the ball in toward Alex, she changed her cross. Tobin had noticed Christen floating at the top of the box and with the defense prepping for a cross near the face of the goal, she was left wide open. Tobin cut the ball back and passed it to Christen. Christen saw nothing except the goal. She took one look at the net and slammed the ball into the upper 90, out of Ashlyn's reach._

_Christen was mauled by bodies and all she could hear was a bunch of screaming. She felt hands patting her head and arms wrap around her._

_"Fuck yeah, Chris!" Kelley shouted as she pounced on the forward._

_Christen felt at home with the rush of adrenaline that overcame her. One by one, the bodies dispersed and the teams made their way back to center field to restart._

_Christen looked around for a certain midfielder and found the girl heading straight toward her. Christen opened her arms and laughed as she felt Tobin lift her off the ground._

_"What did I tell you? Here to stay," Tobin whispered into Christen's ear as she set her back on the ground._

_They jogged back over to their half a d the game ended with Christen's goal being the only one scored. Jill told the team to hit the showers, but pulled Christen aside for a moment._

_"I wanted to personally congratulate you on a stellar first practice. Well done, Chris. I feel like you're going to fit in just fine," Jill winked as she let Christen go take a shower. Christen made her way back to the locker room with a giddy feeling, but stopped outside the door when she heard two voices inside._

_"It's not a big deal, Lex. It was just a pass," Tobin said as she took off her training gear and changed into her own clothes._

_"That wasn't just a pass, Tobin, it was our pass. And she was your first pick! Be careful, Heath. You're not as subtle as you think," Alex crossed her arms and handed Tobin her black flip flops._

_"Wasn't trying to be," Tobin snipped as she slipped her feet into her shoes._

_"You've only known her for a few days, at least pace yourself," Alex said._

_"Whatever," Tobin began stuffing her training gear into her bag._

_"How do you do it?" Alex asked carefully._

_"Do what? Nutmeg people? It's all about timing-" Tobin began explaining._

_"No. I mean how do you put yourself out there again?" Alex questioned._

_"Sometimes it just feels right," Tobin shrugged her shoulders and threw her hair into a messy bun._

_"Tobin-" Alex sighed._

_"It's different this time, alright?" Tobin saved herself from Alex's lecture._

_"How? You don't even know her middle name." Alex wondered._

_"Um, hello? That's what Google's for!" Tobin smirked._

_Alex narrowed her eyes and threw her shin guard at Tobin's head. Luckily Alex is a soccer player and not a softball player._

_"For the first time, I'm thinking about a person more than a soccer ball," Tobin said whispered as she started walking out of the locker room._

_"Hey, promise me you'll be careful?" Alex followed, putting a hand on Tobin's shoulder._

_Tobin smiled and turned around. She held out her pinky for Alex to take with her own. They linked pinkies before Tobin tried to turn the sweet gesture into a thumb war. Alex laughed and pushed Tobin toward the exit._

_Christen panicked when she heard footsteps heading her way. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping so she pretended like she was just about to enter the locker room. She quietly passed Tobin and Alex with minimal eye contact before getting into the locker room and smiling to herself._

 

The celebration died down and the victory became old news after a few minutes. Everyone went about their own business, showering, changing in and out of different outfits, and eating their secret stashes of junk.

"Excuse me, ladies and Alex," Kelley said earning her a laugh from the rest of the team and the special finger from Alex, who claimed that it was reserved exclusively for Kelley. She stood in the middle of the locker room holding a fake microphone up to her mouth.

"This one goes out to tonight's MVP," Kelley pointed directly to Christen, who was sitting on a bench next to Julie. Everyone cheered and Christen crossed her arms in anticipation of Kelley's surprise.

"Lights!" Kelley shouted before the lights dimmed to a dull glow. She theatrically pretended to open a stage curtain as she walked off to the side.

Christen watched as someone dressed in a purple hoodie and baggy jeans walked into the center of the room with their back facing the audience. Music flooded the speakers and Christen immediately recognized the song. She brought her hand up to her mouth as she heard a few of the girls groan. She heard a voice start to sing along to the lyrics and saw the person start to move their hands to the rhythm.

 **If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go**  
**I can take you places you ain't never been before**  
 **Baby, take a chance or you'll never ever know**  
 **I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow**  
 **Swag, swag, swag, on you**  
 **Chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue**  
 **I don't know about me but I know about you**  
 **So say hello to falsetto in three, two, swag**

Christen's jaw dropped when the purple hoodie turned around. There, in the middle of the locker room, was Tobin Heath, professional soccer player, performing Justin Bieber's Boyfriend.

Christen looked around to see if anyone else saw what she was seeing. Half of the team was jamming out to the song. Kelley, for example, was standing off to the side and leaning against one of the lockers as she bopped her head to the song. The other half of the girls was crying. Julie, for example, had her head in Christen's lap and couldn't stop snorting.

Tobin was mouthing the words to the song perfectly, trying to dance like the blonde heartthrob, jumping on and off benches, and dragging her teammates onto the make shift dance floor. Offending dance moves and obnoxious laughter filled the air.

"Get up, Chris! This is all for you and you're the only one not dancing!" Kelley screamed over the music and tried to pull Christen on her feet.

"You go ahead," Christen shook her head and chose to stay seated. Everyone knew she was one of the biggest introverts on the team, so Kelley didn't push too hard.

Tobin was pretending to get raunchy with Alex and she looked pretty content making a complete fool out of herself. That was, until she spotted Christen sitting on the bench alone. The perfect verse was about to hit so Tobin decided to take advantage of it. Tobin waited for Justin to start singing his verse as she motioned for the team to make some room and slid on her knees, stopping right in front of Christen.

**So give me a chance, 'cause you're all I need girl**   
**Spend a week with your boy I'll be calling you my girlfriend**   
**If I was your man, I'd never leave you girl**   
**I just want to love and treat you right**

Tobin held her hand out to Christen and waited eagerly to see if she would take it.

Christen chuckled at Tobin's wild gesture and stood up from her seat, taking Tobin's hand. The locker room erupted in cheers as Tobin started dancing with Christen and guided her toward the group. Christen couldn't stop laughing at how awful the purple hoodie looked and how stupid Tobin's dance moves were.

After everyone had worn themselves out, they started filing out of the locker room and onto the bus for the ride back to the team hotel.

Tobin was the last one out, considering everyone had already changed out of their kits when the dancing started while Tobin was sporting a 12 year old boy's wardrobe she had to change out of. She roamed the stadium halls as she made her way to the bus when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Now I know why Cheney was the resident DJ, that song was horrible," Christen scrunched her nose as she walked closer to Tobin.

"Come on, nobody can resist the Biebs. Dude's a legend," Tobin said. She turned around and waited for Christen to catch up before they continued moving.

"Thanks for the celebration," Christen said, breaking the silence.

"Thanks for scoring in stoppage time and saving this team's ass," Tobin replied cheeky as they neared the bus.

"I had fun," Christen shoved her hands in her pockets and started climbing onto the bus.

Tobin smiled at the confession and followed Christen onto the bus. She of all people had gotten Christen Press to dance to Justin Bieber in front of the entire team. She gave herself a mental high five as she took her seat next to Alex and watched as Christen took her seat next to Kelley, just one row behind them. The bus was finally ready to go when a frazzled Moe ran onto bus after going back into the stadium to get her forgotten cleats.

Alex plugged in her headphones and leaned her head against the window. Tobin was in the mood to talk, but thought that she could let Alex rest now and then bother her back at the hotel. Tobin twiddled her thumbs in her lap and let out a long sigh. She was bored out of her mind and the fact that the hotel was 30 minutes away didn't help. She pulled out her phone and wasted a few minutes on social media before she opened up her text messages. She twirled her phone around and debated whether or not to start a conversation with someone that could end up lasting longer than she wanted. She ended up sending the message anyway.

 **Tobin:** You're cute when you're having fun

She locked her phone and set it down in her lap. Tobin stared off into space and waited for a response. She was startled when her phone lit up and illuminated the dark.

 **Christen:** Are you saying I'm repulsive every other day?

Christen was already on her phone when she received Tobin's text, so she replied. Let's be real, if Christen wasn't on her phone at the same time Tobin had texted, she wouldn't have messaged the girl back...well that's what she told herself.

 **Tobin:** Only on days when you don't smile.

Christen scoffed internally at Tobin's cheesiness. She started typing away at a witty response when her phone was snatched from her hands.

"Oh, who's got you smiling that big? Vero couldn't even wait until you got back to the hotel to start sexting?" Kelley smirked and started scrolling through Christen's texts.

"Kelley, shut up," Christen reached for her phone.

Kelley's eyes widened and her smirk dropped when she saw who Christen was texting.

"Uh, sorry. Forget I said anything," Kelley tossed Christen her phone back. She turned to the window and watched the street lights pass by.

"Ok?" Christen ignored Kelley's strange reaction and went back to typing out her message.

What Christen didn't notice was Kelley periodically looking over at the forward as she continued her conversation with Tobin. And neither Christen nor Kelley were able to see that one seat in front of the pair, Tobin sat biting her lip, trying to fight the urge to smile after eavesdropping on their conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I wrote this chapter before the Olympics had even started so the fact that I have Christen scoring the game winner against Sweden is a total coincidence...or symbolic depending on how you choose to look at it. And I just wanted to tell you guys that the three words are "here to stay" just in case it wasn't completely clear. Thanks for reading pals and let me know what you think!


	3. I Hate Ali and Ashlyn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayeee, let me know what you think of it so far! Enjoy the long weekend friends.

An annoying sound rang throughout the hotel room.

"Kel," Christen grumbled and threw her pillow over head to block out the persistent noise.

"Sorry, Chris."

Christen heard Kelley get out of bed and turn off the alarm. She shifted under her covers when Kelley began to bustle around the room.

"Shit," Kelley let out from the bathroom followed by a loud bang.

"She couldn't just stay in bed, could she?" Christen asked herself as she forced her body off the mattress and into the bathroom.

Christen leaned against the doorway and tilted her head to the side as she observed Kelley.

"I don't need any help! Just have to get this leg through here," Kelley was laying in the bathtub, wrestling a wetsuit.

"Are you seriously going to surf this early even though we have media today?" Christen questioned.

"Yeah, Ash told me the waves are supposed to be to die for! Besides, a sleepy Kelley is like a drunk Kelley and that'll make for one hell of an interview," Kelley got out of the tub and stood in front of the mirror, grabbing her toothbrush.

"Alright, have fun," Christen said.

She rubbed her eyes on her way back to her bed. She sat up against the headboard and picked up her phone from the night stand. She was already up and knew she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again. She thought about calling Vero and waking her up before the sun had even risen. Her finger hovered above the dial button, but retracted when a sharp knock rapped against the door.

"I got it," Kelley said from the bathroom as she opened up the hotel room door.

"Hey, Ash," Christen said from her place on the bed.

"Hey, babe," Ashlyn's voice sounded different.

"Oh no. She roped you into this too?" Christen asked as Tobin stood at the end of her bed in a bikini top and wetsuit zipped up to her hips.

Christen felt her eyes travel up and down Tobin's body. She approved of the simple black bikini top and skintight suit that left nothing to the imagination.

"Hey! She wanted to come!" Kelley said from the bathroom.

"What about you? Want to come?" Tobin asked Christen.

Christen raised her eyebrow at the ridiculous question.

"I knew you were funny, Heath, but I didn't know you were that funny," Christen said dryly as she went back to her phone.

She was about to double tap a picture of this adorable little girl wearing her jersey when her phone was ripped from her hands.

"Hey!" Christen protested and tried to reach for her phone which was tossed on to the foot of the bed.

Tobin sat down on the bed next to Christen and used her hands to slowly push the forward back down onto the mattress. Tobin hovered over the forward as her hair fell over one shoulder and her wetsuit slipped a little further down her hips to reveal the top of black bikini bottoms.

"Please? It'll be fun," Tobin pushed.

She watched Christen's lips part slightly and her eyes look anywhere except for Tobin's.

"I don't know, Tobin," Christen said uncertainly.

She knew she should probably rest for the busy day she had ahead of her and she didn't want to shove her way into her friends' plans.

"I want you to come," Tobin said firmly.

"I don't even know how to surf," Christen's fingers started playing with Tobin's wetsuit, dangerously close to her swimsuit bottoms.

"Well lucky for you, I'm a great teacher," Tobin smirked and placed her hand on top of Christen's.

She guided the younger girl's hand up to her hip and was encouraged when she saw the slight blush on Christen's face. Tobin started leaning in and gently tucked a stray hair behind Christen's ear. She felt her confidence build when she felt Christen's grip on her skin tighten.

"Alright," Christen whispered, tugging on Tobin and bringing her closer.

"Yeah?" Tobin raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Christen nodded.

"Tobin's right, Chris. You should totally come," Kelley's voice grew louder and the personal bubble the pair had created was broken.

However, Tobin wasn't moving from her spot and Christen panicked as she shoved Tobin off of her and onto Kelley's bed.

Kelley came in with her hair up and wetsuit worn perfectly.

"So? Are you going to come?" Kelley asked excitedly.

"You know what, I think I will. I didn't really want to before, but I think you changed my mind, Kel," Christen said as she got out of bed and started looking around for a bathing suit. She shot Tobin a sly grin when Kelley wasn't looking.

"See, Tobs, you were worried about nothing. I told you she would come. Next time just ask her yourself," Kelley said before disappearing into the bathroom again.

Christen laughed at Kelley's reveal and Tobin rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Planning to ask me to come with you all along? You're sneaky, Heath," Christen said as laid out three swimsuits on her bed to choose from.

"Which one?" Christen asked, motioning for Tobin to come over.

Tobin got off of Kelley's bed and stood directly behind Christen, snaking her arms around Christen's waist and resting her chin on the forward's shoulder.

"Blue," Tobin said as Christen held it up against her body.

Christen held it out to look over it thoroughly before nodding her head in agreement with Tobin's choice.

"And if you need any help getting dressed," Tobin's voice faded off as her hands started wandering lower and lower down Christen's body.

"Out," Christen walked out of Tobin's arms and pointed to the door.

Tobin put her hands up and backed away toward the door.

"I'll wait for you out here, Kel," Tobin said as she passed the bathroom and exited the room.

"I'm good to go. You ready, Chris?" Kelley asked, emerging from the bathroom with a towel in her hands.

"Go ahead, I'll be down in a second," Christen told Kelley.

"Alright, I'm going to help Tobin and Ash load the Jeep. Meet us in the parking lot," Kelley shrugged.

Christen watched Kelley walk out the door and when she was sure the defender was gone, she dropped to her knees. She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. She shouldn't feel comfortable touching Tobin's bare skin. She shouldn't be convinced to do things so out of her comfort zone just because Tobin asked her to. She shouldn’t be thinking about what would have happened if Kelley had stayed in the bathroom for a few more minutes. But she was. Tobin was overstepping every one of Christen's boundaries and Christen kept letting her.

Just then, Christen’s phone buzzed on her bed and she glanced at the incoming text.

 **Vero:** Can’t wait to see you! Only a few more days until I get to hold you in my arms again.

 

 

"I'm so over this," Christen said as she swallowed a gallon of salt water for the fifth time that morning. She waddled her way out of the water when Tobin started chuckling at her.

"No wait! I'm sorry, Chris! You almost had it that time," Tobin ran after her and pulled her back into the ocean.

"Let me go, Tobin!" Christen battled the midfielder and tried to get back to shore.

"You're doing great, Christen! Trust me, it took Ali at least ten tries before she could even stand up!" Ashlyn paddled her way over to Tobin and Christen.

"She must've had a better teacher than I did," Christen put the blame on Tobin.

"I'm right here, you know," Tobin waved her hand in front of Christen's face.

"I doubt it considering Tobin was the one that finally got her standing," Ashlyn admitted.

Tobin smiled victoriously and Christen rolled her eyes.

"Give it another shot, Chris. You're not going to find waves like these for a while," Kelley chimed in as she made her way through the water and over to the group.

"Fine," Christen sighed in defeat and turned to Tobin, awaiting instruction.

Tobin took Christen further out into the water and patiently helped her get onto the board.

"No, your other right foot," Tobin shut her eyes when Christen went plummeting into the water.

Christen resurfaced and pouted as she rested her elbows on the surfboard.

"Wait, I've got an idea," Tobin said as she hopped onto the surfboard. She extended her arm to help Christen get onto the board. She sat Christen right in front of her and kept the board balanced.

"Stand up," Tobin urged Christen.

"What do you think I've been trying to do for the past twenty minutes?" Christen said slightly annoyed.

Tobin dismissed Christen's grumpy attitude because she knew the younger girl was most likely irritated by the fact she couldn't pick this up even though she was trying her best.

"Well, this time is going to be different," Tobin said as she pulled Christen into her.

Tobin's touch sent sparks through Christen's body and she smiled at how well they fit together.

"Get up slowly," Tobin said as she interlocked her hands with Christen's.

Christen used Tobin's hands as an anchor and tried to balance herself on her feet. She was on her knees as the board swayed back and forth. In one swift movement, Christen stood up on her own feet and dropped Tobin's arms.

"I'm up!" Christen squealed and spread her arms out to keep her balance.

"I charge by the hour," Tobin joked and began paddling through the water.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Christen starting freaking out when she felt the board start to move forward.

"Time for the fun part," Tobin said as she propelled toward a medium sized wave forming in the water.

"No, Tobin, stop! How do you turn this thing around?" Christen grew more nervous by the minute as they neared the swell.

"Too late," Tobin said happily from the back of the board.

The board sliced through the wave as Tobin maneuvered it like a professional. Tobin looked up at Christen and saw her nerves fade into enjoyment. They carved the waves for a few minutes before the board carried itself toward the shore and Tobin hopped off the board before helping Christen off.

"That was so much fun! I can't believe I just did that! Let's go again!" Christen bounced up and down.

"Maybe next time, striker. I want to show you something," Tobin said as she walked to where the group had set their towels and other items.

She sat down on her towel and rested her arms on her knees, waiting for Christen to join her. Christen took a seat next to the midfielder.

"Look," Tobin pointed at the sky and Christen snapped her eyes to the ocean.

Waves slammed against fine sand and looked like they were pulling the sun up with every crash. The smell of salt filled the cool morning breeze. The sun peeked over the horizon and the sky was painted with strokes of pink and red. Its brilliant rays colored the clouds above a soft orange and everything blended just right.

Tobin looked to Christen and marveled at how she was able to see the entire sky in Christen's bright eyes.

"Woah," Christen awed.

"Yeah," Tobin agreed.

Tobin saw Kelley and Ashlyn approaching the two, surfboards in hand. She nodded to the space next to her and let her friends take a seat. The group watched the sun ascend into the sky in each other's company.

"Ready to go?" Kelley asked when she checked the time on her phone.

"Yeah, let's pack it up," Ashlyn said as she got up and wiped off the sand sticking to her wetsuit.

"Chris, could you help Ash take our stuff back to the Jeep? Tobin and I will grab the boards," Kelley said as she tapped Tobin on the back.

"Sure," Christen said as she joined Ashlyn in gathering their items and walking back to the vehicle.

They finished putting everything into the trunk and Ashlyn slammed it shut before leaning against the car.

"So Ali really went surfing with you guys?" Christen shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah and let me tell you, it was not pretty," Ashlyn laughed.

"Was it that bad?" Christen asked.

"Yes," Ashlyn said with a straight face.

The two burst out in laughter.

"Honestly, I was just really happy she came, even if she did suck," Ashlyn said.

"I'm not even going to ask how you managed to convince her to come," Christen said.

"It was pretty easy actually. After I told her why I wanted her to come, she said yes in a heartbeat," Ashlyn explained.

"What do you mean? Didn't you just want her to come because you wanted to spend time with her?" Christen asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Ashlyn opened her mouth before immediately closing it. She looked around to make sure nobody was near them and waved Christen over to where Ashlyn was standing.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone this because it'll probably kill our street cred, but when the three of us started surfing together, we decided we would only bring certain people with us," Ashlyn said, but still saw the confused look on Christen's face.

"Like, we don't really get a lot of time to surf together and we agreed that if we were going to let someone join in, they would have to be special. I brought Ali with me because I knew that no matter what our futures entailed, she would always have a place in my heart," Ashlyn said.

Christen's mind was thrown back to the conversation that Kelley and Tobin had before they left the hotel room. She was stuck on the fact that Tobin had been planning to ask her to come surfing with her and that it wasn't an impromptu offer. She gulped and kicked at the pebbles on the ground before asking her next question.

"Has Tobin ever brought anyone with her?" Christen asked cautiously.

Ashlyn smirked, but hid it to make sure it looked like she wasn’t expecting that question.

"No," Ashlyn said.

"Oh," Christen nodded her head.

She took to her left to look at a particularly interesting shrub when she felt a smile make its way onto her face.

"You really love her," Christen spoke up again, referring to Ali.

"Only like a lot," Ash rolled her eyes playfully.

 

 

_It's Christen's third day of camp and her first breakfast with the team. She was able to avoid having to eat with the team for the first few days by blaming it on the jet lag, but if Christen doesn't join them today, Jill will probably think something's wrong._

_Christen stood in line to get breakfast and occasionally smiled at her teammates when they passed by. She was still getting used to the team dynamic and had talked with a few of the other girls, but still hadn't really found her place yet. She grabbed her food and looked around for somewhere to sit._

_She felt like an outsider looking in. Everyone was sitting in little groups at different tables and she tried to scope out someone to sit with. Obviously if Kelley were here Christen would join her, but the freckled defender would never be awake a whole hour before she needed to. Christen would’ve sat with Julie, but even she was still in her room talking to Zach. Moe was sitting with Kling and showing her something on her phone. They looked like they were whispering about something and Christen figured she shouldn't intrude. Hope was at her own table with a book and Christen was not about to disturb the woman's personal time._

_She settled on sitting at the end of one of the occupied tables alone. She picked at her breakfast uninterested and started observing her surroundings. She looked down the table and something caught her eye. Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger were at the opposite end of the table. Usually Christen wouldn't care who was sitting next to who, but something was different about them. She watched as Ashlyn grabbed a strawberry from her plate and held it out for Ali to eat. Ali took a bite and smiled as she leaned into the Ashlyn. Christen kept looking as Ashlyn wrapped an arm around Ali and kissed her on the forehead. Christen felt like she was invading their privacy and wanted to tear her eyes away from the pair, but she couldn't. She felt drawn to them. But she realized what she was doing when Ashlyn's kind eyes locked with Christen's. Christen tried to pretend she hadn't been creeping on the pair for the last few minutes, but Ashlyn threw a wink her way and Christen knew she had been caught._

_"They're cute, aren't they?" a voice rang as someone took a seat across from her. Christen looked in front of her and saw Tobin tightening her ponytail._

_"Is that a trick question?" Christen asked._

_"Don't worry, everyone knows," Tobin smiled._

_"Oh," Christen felt better about discussing the couple like they weren't a secret._

_"They've been together for 5 years now," Tobin said as she peeled a banana open._

_"That's...a long time," Christen's eyebrows shot up at the news._

_"I guess," Tobin shrugged as she took a massive bite out of her banana._

_"You guess?" Christen questioned._

_"I don't know. I guess it's a lot in general, but when you find your person, 5 years is nothing compared to spending your entire lives together," Tobin said, examining her banana before taking another bite._

_Christen was surprised at Tobin's response._

_"What? Is there something on my face?" Tobin swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand._

_"No, that was just really sweet," Christen said._

_"They don't call me Smooth-Talking Heath for nothing," Tobin grinned, propping her feet up on the table and resting her hands behind her head._

_"That's weird, I'm pretty sure everyone calls you Toby," Christen sassed._

_She kicked the legs of Tobin's chair from underneath the table and watched as the older girl struggled to keep her balance, eventually falling to the ground. The chair she was sitting in tipped back and Tobin ended up looking at the ceiling._

_Nobody seemed to notice Tobin on the floor except for Ashlyn and Ali, who were snickering in their seats from down the table._

_Christen bit her lip to hide her smile and got up with her trash in her hands. She walked around to the other side of the table where the trashcan was and discarded her items. She turned around and tilted her head when she saw Tobin still laying on the ground. She sauntered over to the older girl and hovered over her._

_"Thanks for sitting with me," Christen said genuinely._

_Tobin shot her two thumbs up and watched an upside down Christen walk out of the room._


	4. I Hate Kelley's Intuition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but the story's about to pick up, I promise! Also, team pineapple pizza or team "if-you-like-pineapple-pizza-you're-trash"? Start a war in the comments section. Love y'all, I mean it.

"Are you sure you don't have time to even say hi to Kelley? I can call Tobin, too-" Christen said as she walked down the hotel hallway.

"Christen, you know my flight leaves tonight," Vero cut Christen off as the two approached Christen's room, hands interlocked.

Vero finds a few days to plan a quick visit to see Christen like she said she would.

"I know, I just wish you didn't have to go," Christen said quietly as she fished around her purse for her room key.

"Don't be like that. It's only a few more weeks, yeah? We'll be together again before you know it."

"Yeah," Christen sighed, "I'll miss you." She wrapped her arms around Vero's neck and brought her close for a hug. She felt her girlfriend plant a quick kiss to her head.

"I love you," Vero said into Christen's neck.

"Love you, too," Christen hummed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Vero untangled herself from Christen and exhaled deeply.

"Damn it. We've said goodbye so many times, you’d think it would be easier by now," Vero joked as her held back tears.

"Alright, just go already," Christen grinned.

"I'm going, I'm going," Vero said as she readjusted her shirt and started to walk away.

Christen watched her walk away and waited until she had turned the corner. Christen proceeded to insert her room key into the slot. She was about to turn the handle and enter the room when she heard rapid footsteps approaching her from behind. Christen looked up and before she could pinpoint the source of the noise, she felt a pair of lips on her own. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she melted into the familiar touch, but she couldn't ignore the voice in the back of her mind telling her something was off.

"You forgot something," Vero whispered.

"You're okay, right?" Christen asked softly as she fluttered her eyes open.

"Of course. Why?" Vero chirped quickly.

"No, it's nothing. Go, you're going to be late. Bye," Christen shrugged off her worries and smiled, lightly pushing Vero toward the elevator.

"Bye," Vero smiled and took off again, this time for good.

Christen bit her lower lip as she opened the door to her hotel room. She entered the room and shrugged off her coat. She made her way to her bed, but tripped over something in the middle of the room.

"Careful," strong arms prevented Christen from hitting the floor and gently helped Christen upright.

"What are you doing in here? It's past curfew," Christen asked as she brushed herself off and crossed her arms. She took notice of the empty take out boxes and bags of snacks that littered Kelley's side of the room.

"Relax, Presi. I told her she could hang in here while Alex had her nightly Skype date with Serv," Kelley said as she emerged from the bathroom and pounced onto her bed.

"Yeah, Presi. Besides, I'm not the one just getting in," Tobin teased.

Christen ignored the two as she walked over to her suitcase to find something comfortable to change into.

"Kelley, where's my Stanford hoodie?" Christen asked as she felt her teeth begin to chatter.

"I dunna know," Kelley said in between bites as she avoided eye contact with the brunette and strategically placed her arms over her torso to cover something on her hoodie that looked like the word Stanford.

"I can't believe you," Christen mumbled under her breath as she fished around for something else to wear.

"Here, you can have mine," a voice said from behind her.

Christen turned around and saw Tobin standing behind her with her UNC hoodie in her hand.

"Tobin, put that back on, it's freezing!" Christen said as she saw Tobin was left wearing just a t-shirt and running shorts underneath.

"I'm fine, striker. Take it, you have the body temperature of an ice cube," Tobin said as gave Christen the hoodie.

"Thank you," Christen said as she grabbed the piece of clothing and slipped it over her head. It was big on her and the sleeves reached well past her finger tips, but she didn't mind. She was basking in the warmth and her senses were flooded with the smell of Tobin's shampoo. She felt like she receiving an endless hug from her best friend. Christen climbed into her bed and got comfortable under the covers. She watched as Tobin grabbed a bag of chips off of the floor and took a seat on the desk chair across from Kelley's bed.

"Oh yeah, how was your date Christen? Where's Vero, I didn't even get to say hi!" Kelley asked as she tossed the last empty box of take out onto the floor and leaned back against the headboard.

"She had to go, her flight leaves tonight and she has a game tomorrow evening," Christen explained.

"Damn, I can't believe I missed her again. Did you at least go back to her hotel and-"

"Kelley!" Christen chastised and threw a pillow at her.

Tobin cleared her throat and messed with the collar of her shirt, a clear sign that she was uncomfortable.

Christen was about to yell at Kelley some more for bringing up her sex life when a loud noise traveled through the room.

"Woah, Chris. Was that a lion or are you that hungry?" Kelley asked.

Christen let out a frustrated huff and fell back onto her bed.

"I'm starving! I haven't had anything since lunch. I might have to go buy a green juice from the lobby to hold me over until breakfast," Christen said.

"Um, I'm no expert on dinner dates, but aren't you supposed to like, eat dinner?" Kelley asked confused.

"She probably took you to some gluten-free, organic, no flavor fancy bistro," Tobin said quietly from her spot.

"What?" Christen asked pointedly.

"Don't worry about it, striker," Tobin said distracted as she took out her phone and sent a quick text message. She got up from the chair and walked to the door without saying a word. Christen and Kelley heard the door open and murmuring between her and another person. They looked at each other and wondered who the midfielder could be talking to this late at night. Their questions were answered as Tobin shut the door and retreated back into the room with a box of pizza in her hands.

"Fuck yeah, Tobs! I knew you would come through for me. What kind did you get?" Kelley exclaimed as she went for the pizza with grabby hands.

"Pineapple," Tobin said as she watched Kelley's nose wrinkle in disgust.

"Nevermind, you can keep it," Kelley said.

"This isn't for you anyway, Kelley. And don't you think you've had enough junk for one night?" Tobin said as she walked over to Christen's bed.

Christen's ears perked up when she heard what was going on.

"You hate pineapple pizza," Christen said to Tobin.

Tobin looked at the forward shyly and put the box of pizza down on her bed.

"I know, but you don't. It's still your favorite, right?" Tobin asked.

"Yeah, but how did you-"

"Come on, Chris. Every time she's in town you come back from one of your dates starving," Tobin said knowingly. Christen should be angry, but she knows Tobin's right. She figured she could fight Tobin later, right now she was hungry so she opened the box and inhaled her first slice.

"Do you like it?" Tobin asked.

Christen nodded her head with her mouth full of pizza and gave Tobin a thumbs up.

"Good," Tobin said as she walked back to her chair.

Kelley knew better than to say anything. Tobin's crush on Christen was obvious to everyone on the team, but sometimes Kelley couldn't help and wonder if Christen felt something as well.

 

 

_"You're kidding me, right? Kelley, tell me this is a joke or I'll have to kill you and dump your body in this alley," Christen said as she pinched the bridge of her nose._

_"Chris, you're telling me there's nothing? Not a single spark?" Kelley asked as she looked at the girl sitting across the table._

_The barista called Christen and Kelley's names and Kelley opted to go get their orders. The two had found a small café hidden away in one of the alleys of the town they were in. Their game wasn't for a few days and the two were some of the first players to arrive at the hotel the team was staying at. Kelley had convinced Christen to scope out the town with her because she knew it was only a matter of time before Tobin showed up._

_"She's one of my best friends, that's like asking me if I have feelings for you," Christen said defensively._

_"Yeah, but the difference is that you don't look at me like I put the stars in your sky," Kelley blurted out._

_Christen's face fell and her eyes softened._

_"W-what are you talking about?" Christen asked slowly._

_"I see the way you look at her, Chris. She's special to you, why can't you just admit that?" Kelley asked as started to get frustrated._

_"Listen, I can't help the fact that she has a crush on me! I'm not obligated to like her!" Christen leaned in across the table._

_"Then stop leading her on!" Kelley said._

_Christen was about to retaliate, but Kelley wasn't having any of it._

_"You don't get it, okay? You guys bicker and argue like you can't stand each other, but then you're right back to spending time with her and talking to her and claiming she's your best friend. You're not the one who has to pick up the pieces, Christen. You're not the one who watches her face light up every time you send her a text. You're not the one who has to cheer her up every time you're with Vero and not with her. You're not the one who has to watch her fall in love with someone she can’t have," Kelley's voice broke._

_"I have a girlfriend," Christen hissed._

_"You can hide behind those words all you want, but the fact that you've never flat out denied that you like Tobin says more than anything that will ever come out of your mouth," Kelley chuckled bitterly as she got up to throw her empty drink away._

 

 

Tobin had spent the last hour in Kelley and Christen's room because Alex hadn't called her back to the room yet. The last time Tobin interrupted one of Alex's Skype dates she didn't get fresh waffles in the morning for a week. Kelley fell asleep 15 minutes after her last box of take out, leaving Christen and Tobin to talk by themselves.

"Thank you for the pizza," Christen interjects into their random conversation about Disney movies.

"No problem, babe," Tobin yawned.

"Are you tired already?" Christen giggled as she saw Tobin's eyes getting heavy and her head lolling to the side.

"No," Tobin said as she held back another yawn.

"Come here," Christen said as she pulled back the covers and moved over to make room for the older girl.

Tobin smiled lazily and walked over to Christen's bed. She climbed under the covers and felt the forward move closer to her.

"I can't wait until we're married and I get to wake up next to you every morning," Tobin whispered into Christen's ear.

"Why can't you stop being annoying for 5 minutes?" Christen turned to face Tobin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. if you're confused about the timeline, don't worry, so am I.


	5. I Hate Shirley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was blown away by the response to the last chapter! Thank you so much for your feedback, I really do appreciate it. I noticed that a few of you want to see Tobin get with someone to make Christen jealous and I guess that kind of happens in the later chapters, but sort of in an unconventional way? I don't know exactly how that's going to play out yet, but just know that there's still some time before that happens. Like always, thank you for reading and let me know what you think or what you want to see happen next!

"I swear, it was this big," Kelley gestured with her hands as she told her story to the girls sitting around the table.

It was the next morning and half of the team was still sleeping in while the other half was up and in line for breakfast.

Kelley had Alex and Tobin cracking up with her wild story about walking into the wrong hotel room earlier that morning. Alex's laughter died down and she cleared her throat before making brief eye contact with Kelley.

"So Tobin, you never came back to the room last night," Alex said as she turned her head toward Tobin, who was sitting next to her.

"Yeah, I um-you know, got caught up in Kelley's room," Tobin stabbed at her fruit with her fork and avoided eye contact with Alex.

"Doing what? I mean, Kelley told me she knocked out before you did. Did you end up talking to yourself or-" Alex started.

"Hey guys," Christen had just walked into the room and sat down next to Kelley, across from Alex and Tobin.

Tobin's head shot up and her attention was no longer on Alex. She was about to greet the younger girl, but Kelley beat her to it.

"Girl, you look like shit," Kelley said.

She wasn't completely lying. Christen's hair was all over the place and it was clear the she hadn't washed her make up off the night before. Her eyes were red and she had to stifle a few yawns before she could speak.

"Thanks Kelley," Christen deadpanned as she grabbed one of the unclaimed water bottles from the middle of the table.

Kelley continued ranting to the table with only Alex half listening to her. Tobin was too busy watching Christen, who was too busy staring at the surface of the table while Alex shifted her eyes back and forth between the pair. Kelley had finished talking and noticed how spaced out everyone was. She lightly kicked Alex to get her attention and signaled to Christen with a slight nod. Alex understood what Kelley was hinting at and proceeded to elbow Tobin in her ribs. Tobin cringed and was about to shove Alex's face into her plate of food when she saw Alex cock an eyebrow at Christen. It all clicked for Tobin and she straightened up her body to put the plan into action. The three had dealt with this side of Christen a few times before, all times when her girlfriend had to leave town.

"What's on your mind, babe?" Tobin asked as she leaned forward toward Christen.

"Nothing much," Christen replied with a friendly smile that quickly disappeared. She looked up at Tobin through sad eyes and then went back to staring at the table top.

The three girls were shocked. They looked at each other and expressed their concern silently. Tobin sent Kelley a pointed look and Kelley just shrugged her shoulders. She raised a finger in the air and moved it in a circular motion, trying to tell Tobin to try again. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

"So Chris, have you given any thought to that date I mentioned last week? We're going to have to get the ball rolling because at this rate, we won't be married for another 3 years and I don't know if I can wait that long," Tobin said carefully as she waited for a reaction.

Her heart was crushed when she heard her favorite laugh ring in her ears. Something was definitely not right. Usually Christen would yell, hit, or even throw something at the midfielder for cracking those kinds of jokes, but this time she actually laughed. The three girls sitting around Christen knew that this time it was severe and Christen must've been missing Vero more than ever.

Tobin had never gone that far and she knew better not push the envelope any further.

"Hey Lex, Kels, you wanna hang out today?" Tobin asked knowing very well what she was doing.

"No can do Tobin, I promised HAO we would get our nails done together," Kelley said.

"Sorry Tobs, I've got media all day," Alex said.

"That sucks, I was thinking about going to this animal shelter down the street and visiting some old friends. Maybe next time," Tobin said, putting extra emphasis on her words hoping a certain forward would hear her.

"Animal shelter?" Christen slowly raised her head and asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty sick. I don't really have much lined up to do today and was thinking about going, but since Alex and Kelley can't go I guess I’ll find something else-" Tobin smiled.

"I'll go!" Christen offered as her eyes began to appear lively once more.

"Really?" Tobin asked like she couldn't believe it.

"Uh, I mean, yeah. If you want to. Cool," Tobin cleared her throat and tried to recover from her desperation.

"Will you text me when you want to leave? I'm going to get ready," Christen said as she got up.

"Yeah, I'll do...that," Tobin said as she watched Christen take off toward her room.

She turned back to her teammates and was met with knowing looks.

"What?" Tobin asked.

 

"So how did you find this place?" Christen asked as Tobin held the hotel door open for her. Tobin had insisted on walking to the shelter claiming it was "part of the experience".

"Cheney showed it to me a couple years ago when we were in town for a friendly," Tobin said as the pair walked side by side down the street.

"You miss her, don't you?" Christen asked as she looked at Tobin.

"Yeah, she was one my best friends. We went through a lot together," Tobin reminisced and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Hey," Christen nudged Tobin trying to lighten the mood, "I thought I was your best friend?"

"You're so much more than that, Chris," Tobin whispered to herself.

"Did you say something?" Christen asked.

"No, just that we're here," Tobin pointed towards a small building.

Christen squealed and grabbed Tobin by the wrist as she dragged her into the shelter. They were greeted by a young man behind the information desk.

"Hey, Tobin! I didn't know you were in town, I haven't seen you in a while," the man said with a smile as Tobin walked up to the desk with Christen close behind.

"Hey, Charlie. We've got a match in a few days and we had a free day, so I figured we'd stop by," Tobin explained.

Charlie smiled as his eyes flickered over to Christen.

"Oh yeah, this is Christen Press. She's on the team and wanted to check this place out. Is it cool if we just?" Tobin asked pointing towards the back.

"Go for it! You know where everything is. And you might want to visit the cove, just got a new batch yesterday," Charlie said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Thanks, dude," Tobin said as she tapped her fingers on the desk and turned to Christen.

"After you," Tobin said as she ushered Christen to the double doors behind the desk.

The pair walked through the double doors and they were bombarded with barking.

Tobin showed Christen around, letting her stop at each of the kennels lined up against the wall before taking her to a smaller and much quieter room.

Christen's smile grew as she heard soft barks get louder and louder.

"Oh my gosh," Christen laughed as she covered her mouth.

They had stopped right in front of a large kennel with a sign dubbing it as "The Cove". Christen kneeled down in front of the kennel door and watched as more than five terrier mix puppies ran over to the door.

Tobin stood back and watched Christen try to pet the pups through the door before clearing her throat.

"I'm not really supposed to do this, but if you want, I could probably get you in-"

"Really? Please, Tobin! I'm begging you," Christen cut her off as she understood what the older girl was implying.

Tobin laughed as told Christen to step back from the kennel. She slightly unlocked the hinge and stuck a foot in the door so none of the puppies could escape. She watched them attack her sneaker and quickly slipped into the kennel. Tobin got down onto the floor and let the little monsters scramble over each other to try and greet their new visitor.

"Come on in, Chris," Tobin said once she made sure she had lured the dogs away from the door.

Christen followed suit and entered the kennel. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. There just something so pure about Tobin Heath being mauled by puppies.

"I'm sorry, but this is too cute," Christen said as she whipped out her phone and got ready to snap a picture. Tobin saw what Christen was doing and decided that a peace sign and tongue-out-of-the-mouth pose were both necessary. Christen rolled her eyes at how typical Tobin was and put her phone away.

Tobin struggled to keep them from climbing all over her and once they realized they had another visitor, half of them ran over to Christen.

The two spent about ten minutes waiting for the dogs to calm down and get used to them. When they were finally over their initial excitement, Christen sat down next to Tobin and placed one of the smaller pups in her lap.

"You seem really familiar with this place," Christen said, watching Tobin stroke a sleeping puppy in her lap.

"Yeah. Charlie is actually Jrue's cousin which is how Cheney found out about it. She brought me here the first time, but then whenever I was in town and wanted some company, I ended up here," Tobin said.

"Why'd Cheney bring you here the first time?" Christen pushed. She knew the answer, but wanted to hear it anyway.

"I, uh...wasn't in the best place and she said if bringing me here didn't work then she didn't know what would," Tobin smiled at the memory.

"It was because of her, wasn't it?" Christen asked.

Tobin shut her eyes and leaned back on her hands.

"Yeah," her voice wavered.

"Tell me about it," Christen said in a slightly demanding way.

Tobin set her eyes on the ground and shook her head.

"Tobin," Christen coaxed.

"Christen, I can't. Not now. I'm sorry, just-" Tobin got frustrated with herself and scooped up the puppy in her lap. She set in down gently before exiting the kennel, leaving behind a confused Christen and a confused batch of fur balls.

 

 

_"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Christen asked Alex._

_Christen and Alex were the last two in the locker room after they had decided to stay back and take some extra shots._

_"Sure," Alex asked as she dried her wet hair with a towel._

_"What's the deal with Tobin?" Christen asked from the bench._

_Alex laughed, "Don't worry about her. She's just messing with you for the hell of it. If it gets to be too much, let me know and I'll take care of it."_

_"No, I'm not talking about the flirting. I'm talking about her and Shirley," Christen said._

_Alex froze._

_"Who told you about that?" Alex asked harshly as she put her towel down and turned to Christen._

_"N-nobody, I was just online and-" Christen was taken aback by Alex's tone._

_"Don't talk about it, alright? As far as you know, those two are strangers," Alex said as she turned back to her space and threw her cleats into her duffel._

_"Sorry," Christen whispered. She grabbed her things quickly and made a move toward the door. She wanted to get out before she angered Alex even further._

_"Wait, Press," Alex saw Christen walking toward the door._

_"Don't worry, I won't bring it up again," Christen said in a hushed voice as she looked at Alex over her shoulder and began exiting the room._

_"No, I'm sorry," Alex said._

_Christen stopped in her tracks. She didn't know Alex Morgan that well, but something told her that apologizing wasn't something the Berkeley star did very often._

_"I didn't mean to snap," Alex ran a hand through her wet hair and sat down on the bench._

_"It's ok," Christen said as she walked back over to Alex and took a seat next to her._

_"Normally I wouldn't tell anybody this, but it seems like you two are pretty close," Alex slightly smirked as she saw Christen blush at her words._

_"They dated, if that wasn't completely obvious. Shirley was Tobin's first love and they were together for three years."_

_Christen listened intently and took note of Alex's use of past tense._

_"I'd never seen Tobin so happy, she was on cloud nine. They were so in love. Sometimes Tobin even talked to me about marrying her. It was all great, until Shirley called her one night and broke things off," Alex said._

_"Wow," Christen didn't know what to say._

_"The worst part was that all it took to break Tobin's heart was a two minute phone call. She didn't give her a reason or anything. Tobin didn't even have time to say goodbye before Shirley hung up the phone," Alex put her head in her hands._

_"What happened after all of that?" Christen asked hesitantly._

_"At first it was just a lot of silence and blank staring until she finally broke down. We thought that was the extent of it, but then it started affecting her soccer. She started showing up to practices late, couldn't run a full ninety, sometimes she would get into camp and never get out of bed. I would find her in the bathroom scrolling through old photos in tears. It happened every day until she couldn't cry anymore," Alex struggled to continue._

_"She started partying every chance she got. I had to practically drag her away from the bar at the end of the night. She was so angry and upset. I remember this one time when she snuck out of the hotel past curfew. She was at some run down shack in the middle of nowhere and I only found out because she butt dialed me. She couldn’t remember the name of the place so I ended up going to three different clubs before I finally found her. I walked in and I saw her trying to force some girl into doing body shots with her. Tobin was ordering drink after drink even though the other girl kept refusing. At one point she even blew up at the bartender for not being fast enough and shoved a fifty dollar bill into his mouth. It was disgusting. The poor girl was terrified and I had to physically pin Tobin’s hands behind her back so she would stop touching her. When I let her go, she found the closest drink she could and threw it right at my face. And it’s not like I was even mad at her or anything because I knew she was in pain, I could see it in her eyes. They were so full of hurt. We tried to help her, Lauren, Amy, Kelley, but she wouldn't listen. It wasn't until she blacked out during Cheney's rehearsal dinner that she realized she had a problem," Alex said as she lightly rubbed her eyes._

_"Was she addicted?" Christen asked hesitantly._

_"If you ask her, she'll say no, but the rest of us have our own opinions. I don't know if you've ever noticed, but have you ever seen her drink when we go out or dinner?" Alex said._

_Christen shook her head no._

_"It's because she's been sober for 2 years now," Alex leaned forward and rested her arms on her knees._

_"I didn't know," Christen said._

_"And she's not going to find out I told you, alright?" Alex pointed her finger at Christen._

_Christen silently agreed to Alex's wishes._

_"It was hard. But she's a fighter," Alex said, getting up slowly._

_"Has she ever, like, relapsed?" Christen asked._

_"No. Honestly, she got through it the first time, but I don't know what would happen if she were to-" Alex couldn't finish the sentence._

_Christen nodded her head and got up off the bench. She grabbed her stuff and headed for the door once again._

_"Hey, Press," Alex said as she saw Christen walking away._

_"Yeah?" Christen turned back._

_"If you could help Tobin, keep her sober, would you?"_

_"Of course," Christen said without missing a heartbeat. She furrowed her eyebrows at Alex's ridiculous question._

_"Good to know," Alex smiled at the ground as she heard Christen walk out the door._

Christen slowly stepped around the puppies and followed Tobin out of the kennel.

She found the midfielder sitting outside in one of the make shift backyards the shelter had set up for the dogs to play in. She joined Tobin on the bench and they just sat there for a few minutes before Christen spoke up.

"Do you miss her?" Christen knew she was treading in dangerous waters, but she wanted to try her luck.

"No," Tobin answered honestly.

"Do you still love her?" Christen asked again.

"I'll always love her," Tobin stated.

Christen pushed down the empty feeling that overcame her and kept going.

"Have tried talking to her about it?" Christen asked slowly.

"No and I'm not going to," Tobin said, boring her eyes into Christen's.

"Why?" Christen wavered under Tobin's gaze.

"In a way, I'm grateful to her for disappearing from my life when she did and I think that's where I need to leave it. She showed me my first love, my first heartbreak, and my own strength," Tobin said.

Christen knew what Tobin was referring to, but didn't bring it up because she didn’t want Tobin knowing that she was aware of her past.

"I'm so sorry, Tobin. You didn't deserve to go through that," Christen pulled Tobin into her.

"You live and you learn, I guess. Besides, I've got a super cute future-wife waiting for me, so who's the real winner?" Tobin said with an air of arrogance.

"This was a pretty awesome date," Christen admitted, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"Date?" Tobin perked up.

"If we're going to get married one day we have to start dating, right?" Christen asked and giggled when she saw how happy Tobin was.

She figured she could just give this one to Tobin. Tobin had tried to pick Christen up when she needed it, now it was Christen's turn.

"Well, we should get going," Christen slowly rose to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Tobin asked curiously.

"You tell me. I've never had a date that hasn’t taken me to dinner," Christen smiled and held out a hand to help Tobin up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidenote: The next chapter is one of my favorites.


	6. I Hate Superheroes

"This bar serves the sickest burgers in town, you're going to love it," Tobin said as she opened the door to the quaint building and let Christen enter.

Christen walked in and looked around, admiring the relaxed atmosphere and music playing. People were dancing and drinking away as Tobin guided the forward to a small booth near the bar. The lights were dim and the incessant chatter coming from all directions gave the place a comfortable feel to it.

Christen took a seat and Tobin slipped into the booth bench right across from her.

"I'm so ready for some food," Christen grumbled as she rubbed her hands together.

"You Stanford girls and your food," Tobin rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Don't go there, Heath. You Tar Heels aren't as perfect as you think," Christen raised her eyebrows.

Tobin raised her hands in surrender. The waiter came around to their table and Christen motioned to Tobin.

"Hey Joe, can I get two burgers, some fries, and two ice cold waters?" Tobin greeted the familiar waiter before placing her order.

Tobin felt something hit her square in the face and saw Christen looking at her with her head tilted to the side.

"Oh, and two salads," Tobin added trying to balance out the order.

"Coming right up," Joe said cheerfully as he jotted a few things down on his notepad and walked away.

"I think this is your's," Tobin picked up the small wad of paper Christen had hit her with and threw it back at Christen, missing by a mile.

Christen stuck her tongue out and laughed.

"Thank you for today, I really needed it," Christen said as she tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear.

"No problem, I'm happy you're smiling again. Need our star striker in the right mindset if we're going to kick some more ass," Tobin said with a wink as Joe came by and sat their waters down on the table.

"Oh gosh, don't let your girlfriend hear you say that," Christen joked.

Tobin was sipping her water when she heard what came out of Christen’s mouth and started coughing violently.

"Tobin!" Christen got out of the booth and took a seat next to Tobin as she tried to calm the older girl down by rubbing her back.

"What?" Tobin croaked red faced.

"I'm sorry! I was trying to make a joke. I was talking about Alex," Christen explained softly.

Tobin's worried face relaxed as she realized what was going on.

"Oh," Tobin said. She knew the team liked to joke about "Talex" and how close they were, but she never thought Christen of all people would join in on the teasing.

"I guess I'll leave the jokes to you from now on," Christen said, her hand still caressing Tobin's back.

Tobin turned to Christen and a small smile played on her lips. Tobin looked into Christen's eyes and wanted to look away, but felt herself being physically incapable of doing so. Christen held the midfielder's stare and Tobin's eyes darted from Christen's mystery colored eyes down to her pink lips and back up. Tobin thought she saw Christen lean in a little, but she knew it was probably just her imagination.

"Hey, Chris?" Tobin said gently, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Yeah?" Christen replied.

"You can let go," Tobin said with twinkling eyes.

Christen snapped out of her daze and saw that her hand was still in fact resting on Tobin's back. She immediately retracted her hand and Tobin bit her lip to stop herself from smiling as she saw the light blush forming on Christen's cheeks.

"Drink your water," Christen mumbled as she shoved the glass of water toward Tobin and went back to her side of the booth. They kept up their conversation all through dinner as Joe eventually stopped by to drop off their food. Burgers were eaten, French fries were thrown, and salads remained relatively untouched. They were in the middle of a conversation when someone had decided to interrupt them.

"Hey there, can I buy you a drink?" a tall man with too much grease in his hair had managed to find his way over to where the pair was sitting and looked directly at Christen.

Although Christen was feisty and playful with her friends, it had taken her months to warm up to the idea of being that outspoken with even her teammates. So when a random guy in a bar hit on her, the introverted side of her that dominated her personality came out. Her cheeks turned a bright red and she avoided eye contact with the man leaning up against her booth.

"Um..." Christen had no idea how to react to the situation.

Tobin saw the Christen that she knew fade and the Christen that the general public knew take center stage. She saw how uncomfortable the younger girl was and decided to take control of the situation.

"She's good," Tobin dismissed the man and tried to restart the conversation they were having before he interrupted.

"I'm pretty sure I asked her, not you. Come on babe, just one drink?" the man asked again as he looked at Tobin and then redirected his attention to Christen with a slight smirk.

Everything about him made Tobin's skin crawl, from his arrogant stride to the obnoxious diamond watch on his wrist. Tobin wanted to slap that stupid smirk right off his stupid face.

"And I'm pretty sure," Tobin narrowed her eyes and stood up from her seat, "she'd rather finish having dinner with me, not you."

"Tobin, it's okay. Sit down," Christen whispered and tried to get Tobin to ignore the obviously drunk man.

"Oh, I get it. Playing hard to get, huh? Lucky for y-you I like a good challenge," his words slightly slurred.

"She's not interested," Tobin growled through her teeth.

The man grabbed Tobin's shoulder and squeezed a little too hard than he meant to. Tobin winced at the contact, but tried to ignore the pain. He stumbled closer to Tobin and started whispering into Tobin’s ear with a stench of alcohol in his breath so strong that it almost had Tobin gagging.

"She's not interested...yet. She won't b-be able to keep her hands off of me when her pants are on my floor and my head is between her-"

Tobin brought her knee up hard right in between his legs. He released the grip he had on her shoulder and she watched as he fell to the ground with a thud. Heads turned their way as people heard the commotion.

Christen stood up from the booth in shock and rushed to Tobin's side. She saw the bartender pulling out his phone out of the corner of her eye.

"Tobin, I'm not hungry anymore. Let's get out of here," Christen's voice wavered as she tried to tug on Tobin's arm.

Tobin crouched onto the floor right in front of the crippled man, "Don't even think about finishing that sentence."

She got back on her feet and grabbed Christen's hand before storming out of the bar.

Tobin didn't look back as she walked along the sidewalk of the small town and kept her head down. She was dragging Christen behind her when she felt a harsh tug on her arm and Christen's hand slipping out of her own.

"What the hell were you thinking? No, let me tell you, you weren't thinking! Did you see how big he was? He could've killed you!" Christen rambled.

"Why are you mad at me?" Tobin yelled.

"Why are you mad at me?" Christen challenged back. Tobin hadn't uttered a single word since they left the bar. She hadn't asked if Christen was alright or made a joke about that guy's balls. She just had her head down in silence as she navigated the streets with Christen in tow.

"That guy had no right to talk to you like that. The way he was looking at you..." Tobin stopped talking and Christen noticed the anger in the midfielder's eyes.

"Talk to me like what? I'm a big girl, Tobin. I could've handled it," Christen argued.

"Yeah, seemed like you had that handled just fine," Tobin scoffed.

"Don't talk to me like that! I can take care of myself. I don't need you to decide who can or can't buy me a drink," Christen crossed her arms across her chest.

"You didn't hear what he said about you, alright? I was just saving you from an asshole," Tobin wanted to end the argument right there, but Christen wasn't finished.

"I'm not your's to save," Christen stated harshly.

"Fine, then go sleep with him already and see if I care!" Tobin shouted. Christen's words stung Tobin deep.

Something in Christen's eyes changed, but Tobin couldn't quite place it in the heat of the moment.

"I'll sleep with whoever I damn well please, got that Heath?" Christen shoved a finger in Tobin's direction.

"Yeah?" Tobin took a step toward Christen.

"Yeah!" Christen said firmly as she held her ground.

"Yeah?" Tobin asked louder, still advancing toward Christen.

"Yeah!" Christen said as her chest heaved up and down.

Tobin stormed off down the street and Christen followed a few steps behind her knowing she would probably get lost if she tried to get back to the hotel by herself.

 

 

_"You got this, Chris. One more!" Julie encouraged._

_Christen's arms felt like jelly and she felt the sweat dripping down her face. She strengthened her grip and stuck her tongue out of her mouth slightly. She gathered what little willpower she had left and pushed the bar into the air, holding it there until her limbs started shaking._

_"Easy there," Julie said as she took the bar into her own hands and set it back onto the bar catchers._

_"Thanks," Christen sat up as Julie handed her a towel._

_She tried to focus on her breathing and let her heart recover._

_It was weights day in camp and the gym was bustling with noise. Dawn had ordered a rather grueling gym session while she checked up on how certain players were progressing. Luckily Christen was fit enough to pass Dawn's inspection. All she did was run until she couldn't run anymore and Dawn had cleared her. Christen was now enjoying a free weights period as her other teammates got tested and had decided to work out with Julie. The defender had forced Christen onto the bench press claiming that the mere coincidence of her last name matching the contraption's name screamed fate. So Christen got on her back and let Julie spot her as she pumped out rep after rep._

_"I. Hate. Lifting." Christen said in between breaths and swiped her water bottle from the floor._

_"You're not going to get guns like these with that attitude," Julie said as she flexed and showed off her impressive arms._

_"Forwards don't need guns like that anyway. We don't do the hitting, we get hit," Christen dismissed Julie as she got up off the bench._

_"Want to get in some pull-ups?" Julie asked, pointing over to where Kelley and Ashlyn were competing to see who could do the most. There was a group of people around them including Heif, the team's press officer, with a camera right beside him. Christen figured they must be filming another video for the YouTube page._

_"You're so funny! I think I'm just going to chill for a few minutes," Christen laughed and made her way over to an empty bench with a few magazines on it. She was too busy trying to get the feeling back in arms to notice what was happening by the camera._

_The crowd surrounding Kelley and Ashlyn erupted in cheers when Ashlyn dropped to the ground. Kelley kept going and then slowly eased herself down from the bars._

_"Yes! That's what I'm talking about! Suck it Ash!" Kelley got all up in Ashlyn's face after beating her by 5 pull-ups._

_"Whatever, I let you win. Didn't want to embarrass you in front of the cameras," Ashlyn pointed finger guns into the camera and walked off._

_Kelley took a bow and soaked in the applause from her teammates._

_"Alright, O'Hara. You're up," Dawn walked into the gym with her clipboard and waited for Kelley to join her._

_"That's it for me folks," Kelley said into the camera and stalked off to the testing room with Dawn._

_The camera man stopped recording as everyone went about their own business and Heif started talking to him about shooting more content._

_"Tobin, could you help us out?" Heif spotted the midfielder making her way to the other side of the gym and stopped her._

_"Sure, what do you need?" Tobin asked as she approached the pair._

_"We were making a Kelley's-gym-adventures kind of video for the channel, but she got pulled out for testing. You think you could fill in?" Heif pointed to the camera._

_"Uh, yeah. What do you want me to do?" Tobin asked hesitantly. She wasn't a natural entertainer like Kelley and wasn't too fond of the cameras, but she thought it wouldn't hurt to help Heif out._

_"Whatever you want. Just entertain the camera," Heif said as he tapped the cameraman on the back, signaling for him to start rolling._

_"Uh, hey guys. Tobin here. We're in the gym right now, working on our fitness. Thought I'd bring you guys along and show you some of my favorite workouts," Tobin said to the camera and relaxed when Heif mouthed for her to keep going._

_She went around the gym messing with her teammates while they were trying to work out. At one point she managed to squirt water in Hope's face while she was working the ropes. She didn't stick around to see Hope's reaction, but prayed that the camera had captured it so she could go back and watch it. Tobin started working out using a soccer ball, juggling with her feet while lifting weights, jumping rope with the ball in between her legs, and she even started squatting while balancing the ball perfectly on her head._

_"Thanks, Tobin. You're a lifesaver!" Heif said after he felt they had enough content._

_"No problem," Tobin said. She was ready to be done with the camera, but second guessed herself. She flicked her eyes over to Christen, who was sitting on a single bench isolated from everyone else. She had her eyes closed and legs crossed, so Tobin figured she must've been doing some yoga._

_"Wait, Heif. Could we get one more shot?" Tobin asked before Heif started packing up._

_"Yeah! What did you have in mind?" Heif asked eagerly. He had never seen Tobin Heath ask for more camera time so he knew whatever she was about to do was going to be special._

_Tobin gestured to the cameraman to start rolling again and waited for his cue before speaking._

_"This last one is called The Superman and I think it's my favorite," Tobin said as she walked across the gym with the two men and camera following her._

_Heif watched as Tobin turned around and shushed the camera before she kept walking._

_She neared Christen's bench and waited a few seconds to make sure the forward still had her eyes closed. Tobin got on her back and slipped under the bench, her lower body sticking out. She brought her hands up to the bottom of the bench and positioned her hands in the perfect spot. She took a deep breath and pushed the whole thing into the air like she was on a bench press._

_"Oh my god," Tobin heard Christen's voice from above her and laughed as she held the bench in the air._

_"You guys good?" Tobin's voice boomed from underneath the bench. She was struggling to keep the bench stable as Christen tried to get off and didn't want the camera to capture any potential injuries._

_"Got it! Thanks again Tobin," Heif said as he cut the scene and guided the camera out of the gym._

_Tobin let out a small grunt as she brought the bench back to the ground. It was a little bumpy as Tobin did her best to bring the bench down gently, but Christen wouldn't sit still. Tobin felt her arms start to give out and was forced to drop the bench._

_"Tobin-" Christen tumbled off the bench and onto Tobin's lower body._

_"Fuck," Tobin clenched her eyes shut at the pain._

_"What was that about?" Christen pushed herself off from Tobin's body and yanked the girl out from underneath the bench by her legs._

_"I was doing The Superman, you know, saving the day and all that. I think you broke my abs," Tobin groans as she turned onto her side and grabbed her stomach._

_"My hero," Christen rolled her eyes as she watched Tobin slowly get up. She felt bad for Tobin, who was clearly in pain, and helped her lean against the bench._

_"Are you alright?" Christen asked, crouching down next to Tobin._

_"I don't know. Am I bruising?" Tobin asked as she lifted up her tank top._

_Christen raked her eyes over Tobin's golden skin and her chiseled abs. Christen felt her face heat up as thoughts of running her hands down the muscle clouded her mind._

_"N-no," Christen gulped._

_Tobin smirked when she saw Christen not-so-subtly checking out her body. She dropped her shirt and Christen snapped her eyes back to Tobin's._

_"You're okay, right? I didn't hurt you or anything?" Tobin put her hands on Christen and started inspecting her_

_"Yeah, I'm fine. What were you doing anyway? Are 300 pound weights not heavy enough for you to lift?" Christen said as she started stood up and held out a hand for Tobin to take._

_Tobin grabbed Christen's hand and Christen planted her feet so Tobin could help herself up. Instead, Tobin used her strength to yank Christen's arm and the younger girl came tumbling down once again. She landed with her knees on either side of Tobin and her hands on Tobin's shoulders. Their faces were inches apart and Christen couldn't help but brush her tongue across her lips._

_"Something like that," Tobin whispered as her eyes followed Christen's tongue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm going to call this the turning point in the story because you'll get to see some drama develop over the next few chapters. Hope you liked it and I'm sorry about the late update. I told myself I wouldn't post another chapter until I wrote the next one, but broke I my own rule and decided to post anyway. Enjoy the weekend pals and let me know what you think!


	7. I Hate Fighting With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter doesn't contain a flashback!

It's been a few days since Tobin and Christen have talked to each other. That night left things unresolved between them and they purposefully avoid each other the days following their fight. They consciously sit with different people during meals, spend off days alone, and refrain from contacting each other.

Christen's in the lobby trying to keep herself busy. She's lounging around, taking advantage of the free wifi, while she waits for Julie to finish getting dressed so they can go mini golfing like they planned. Jill had told the team they would only be able to use the practice grounds in the evening so they were free to schedule the rest of their day around it. The lobby was buzzing with players entering and exiting the building.

 **Julie:** on my way down

Julie had just texted Christen and she got up out of her seat, ready to leave.

"Hey, Chris. What's going on?" Ali approached Christen with sunglasses perched on her head. She was obviously dressed to go out.

"Just waiting for Julie. We're supposed to go mini golfing, if she ever shows up," Christen mumbled the last part, checking the time on her phone.

"Damn it. I wish I could come with you guys, but I promised Ash we could go to this shark themed restaurant downtown," Ali pouted.

Christen giggled and turned to the elevator when she heard the doors open in the lobby. She was about to chew Julie out for taking so long, but her teasing eyes morphed into stone cold ones when she saw who had stepped out of the elevator.

Ali spotted Tobin walking into the lobby and ran over to her, leaving Christen frozen in her spot. Ali was going to get directions from Tobin for the restaurant since she was the one that suggested it in the first place.

Ali slowed her steps as she neared the midfielder. Something was off.

"Tobin, what happened?" Ali's voice was full of worry. Christen's head shot up when she heard Ali's voice. Tobin felt Christen's eyes watching her.

By just looking at her, Tobin seemed fine. She was wearing a sleeveless top and basketball shorts like she would've been wearing any other day. But Ali knew better. She didn't have the usual bounce in her step and wasn't sporting her trademark smile. However, that still wasn't what Ali was alluding to.

Ali moved closer and took note of how Tobin kept playing with part of her shirt that lay on her shoulder. She brought her hand up to Tobin's shoulder and moved her shirt to the side. The skin where the man had put his hands on her a few nights ago was still marked an angry purple with faded hints of red surrounding the irritated area. Tobin shrugged Ali's hand off of her and readjusted her shirt so it covered the bruise. She tried to blink the away the tears that pricked her eyes.

"Nothing important," Tobin said with a harsh tone as she brought herself to lock eyes with the green ones staring at her from across the room.

Christen felt her heart pang as she heard what Tobin said. She turned away and wiped at her eyes before anyone could see. She didn't even know why she was crying. She was the one mad at Tobin, why should she care what Tobin says. Frustrated by her thoughts, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and started dialing Julie's number. She put the phone up to her ear and waited for the call to go through.

"Hey," Christen felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped at the contact.

"Are you ready to go?" Julie was standing behind her.

"Yeah, let's go," Christen forced a smile and they started walking out of the hotel where their van was waiting.

"Are you alright? You seem a little jumpy," Julie said as she matched Christen's steps.

"It’s been a long couple of nights," Christen said flatly before hopping into the van and slamming her door shut.

 

 

Christen ran down the field toward the goal. She heard the blood pounding in her ears and her legs were starting to ache. Her team had possession of the ball and was making its way to the goal rather quickly. It wasn't until a few passes later that they finally broke the opposing team's defense. Tobin held the ball and got ready to send in a cross.

"I've got space," Christen pointed to her feet, trying to get Tobin's attention. Nobody was tracking her and she could easily get a shot on goal if she had the ball. Christen crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Tobin blatantly ignore her and choose to cross the ball in to Alex instead. Christen's face became smug when she saw the Hope collect the header with no problem.

"Alright," Jill was walking up and down the sidelines when she slammed her clipboard on the ground.

"Heath! Press!" Jill ran her hands down her face and called the two players off the field.

"What are the rest of you staring at? Reset!" Jill yelled at the players who had stopped playing. They scrambled and readjusted teams to cope with the two absences.

"What are you two doing out there? Where's the chemistry? No, I'll tell you where it is, back on the bus where I'm going to be sending you if you don't get it together!" Tobin and Christen held their heads low.

"You two are staying back and working on shots until dinner. Go run laps," Jill said as she left the two players and went back to observing the scrimmage.

Tobin and Christen kept their distance and ran the perimeter of the field for thirty minutes until the rest of the team had cleared out of the stadium. Christen slowed to a halt when she couldn't run anymore while Tobin's legs continued on like clockwork. Tobin passed Christen once, twice, and a third time before Christen decided to stop her.

"We're supposed to be shooting," Christen said when Tobin was about to pass her. Tobin ran for a few more yards and then hit the brakes. She walked across the field to where the bag of balls was sitting and Christen followed her. Tobin came back about 40 yards out from the goal and started lining up the balls. Christen plopped down onto the turf and let Tobin empty the bag herself. When she was done, Christen stood back up and started stretching.

"How do you want to set up this shot?" Christen asked, clearly wishing she was anywhere but here.

Tobin walked over to the first ball and placed her hands on her hips. She looked down the field at the goal and furrowed her eyebrows like she was deep in thought.

"We don't have all day, Heath," Christen rolled her eyes.

Tobin flicked her eyes over to Christen for a quick second before taking off down the field and taking a shot by herself. She collected the ball from the net and jogged back to the line of balls. She stood over the second ball and prepared her stance for her next shot.

"I don't know if you heard Jill, but we were told to work on our shooting. Together," Christen emphasized the last word.

"What's the point? It's not like you'd take my assist anyway," Tobin murmured as she took a few steps back and started her run.

"What did you say?" Christen lifted her eyebrow as she walked up to Tobin's ball and trapped it, effectively stopping her shot.

"You're blocking my shot, Press," Tobin said.

"What do you mean I wouldn't take your assist?" Christen asked again, this time with more purpose.

Tobin ignored her and went to grab her ball from underneath Christen's foot, but Christen kicked it to her left, just out of Tobin's reach, before she booted it down the field.

Tobin took a deep breath and walked back over to the line of balls to shoot another one.

"Answer me," Christen said through gritted teeth.

"You heard me. I offer you my help and you don't want it off the field, so why would you want it on the field?" Tobin threw her arms in the air and walked over to Christen.

"Are you still hung up on that night? Get over it, Tobin! Do you need a wakeup call to realize that when we step on this pitch our personal lives don't matter? I might be incredibly infuriated with you when we're just Tobin and Christen, but when we're on the field as 17 and 12, we're a team and I need you to win," Christen finished and brushed past Tobin.

"That's not okay with me!" Tobin let out. Christen got goose bumps when she heard Tobin's voice that loud and turned around slowly.

"Is that all I am to you?” Tobin waited for an answer that was never going to come, “Are we only a team when we’re on the field? We're best friends, Chris. We're supposed to be a team with or without a soccer ball," Tobin's voice cracked.

"I-" Christen tried to say something, but the words were caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say.

Tobin shook her head and went back over to the balls.

"I'll set up the shot. Go wide," Tobin demanded in a way that Christen's body immediately obeyed.

She ran near the right sideline and waited for Tobin to feed her the ball. Tobin passed it right to Christen's feet and she ran into the box like she was surrounded by defenders. She passed the ball back to Tobin who threaded the ball right in front of the goal and allowed Christen to blast the ball into the net. She turned around with a giant smile and her arms spread wide. She started running toward Tobin, expecting to be swept off her feet in a searing hug, but stopped when she didn't see any arms open to catch her.

Tobin shot her a small smile and opened her arms slowly, hoping that Christen would get the hint. Christen's smile returned to her face and she leaped into strong arms.

"Here to stay," Tobin said into Christen's neck.

Christen's feet touched the ground and she patted down her hair. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had missed the midfielder getting on her nerves. She missed looking into honey brown eyes and feeling at home. She missed seeing Tobin's smile, not the one she showed the camera, the one that took up half her face and reached her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Christen said.

"What was that?" Tobin put a hand to her ear.

"I am sorry," Christen enunciated each word and let Tobin have her fun.

"Apology accepted, striker," Tobin said, dragging Christen back for another shot.

"Chris?" Tobin called for the forward.

"Yeah," Christen said.

"Why didn't you want my help that night?" Tobin asked in a small voice, rolling a ball around under her feet.

"I don't know," Christen sighed.

"I didn't mean to make you upset. I was just trying to look out for you," Tobin said honestly.

"Why? I-you just do so much for me already and then that stupid guy put his hands on you and your shoulder-,"

"Chris, I'm fine. I did it because I care about you. You deserve the world and I'll make sure you get it. Even if it's not with me," Tobin said softly.

Christen's tried to ignore how her heart swelled in her chest.

"You want to try an inside shot this time?" Tobin asked, looking down the field.

Christen didn't reply. She walked over to Tobin and when the midfielder wasn't looking, brought her hand up Tobin's face. She planted a lingering kiss on the tan skin and buried her head in Tobin's neck. Christen melted into Tobin's body when she felt familiar arms rest on her back and hold her.


	8. I Hate That You Two Don't Get Along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little present to mourn the death of our nation's democracy. Heartbroken for so many.

Three weeks pass and the team is back in camp. Most of them leave their NWSL clubs a few days before they are due back.

"Heath!" Christen's voice booms.

Tobin is standing by the luggage claim waiting for her suitcase. She spins around and spots Christen walking toward the conveyor belt with her luggage in tow. She was wearing a black muscle tank with black leggings underneath. Tobin ignored Christen's loud voice and smiled at her effortless beauty.

The players had just started arriving to the airport and Christen had ditched the rest of her teammates on her plane when she spotted Tobin at the luggage claim. Instead of greeting her, she decided that confrontation would be equally as warm. Tobin's brown eyes took in the younger girl's every step, but she stopped daydreaming when she saw the angry look on Christen's face as she got closer. Tobin searched her mind for something that she could have done to make Christen mad. How was Christen already yelling at her when they hadn't talked in three weeks?

Oh.

"Three weeks! Three weeks and you don't even call me!" Christen stopped in front of Tobin, hesitated slightly, and then used her hand to flip Tobin's snapback off her head.

"What can I say? I'm a busy person," Tobin shrugged and leaned down to pick up her hat, smirking at Christen's obvious attachment issues.

"Busy with what?" Christen scoffed and watched Tobin readjust her snapback on her head.

"Stuff," Tobin answered vaguely and scanned the conveyor belt as it started moving.

"You didn't even text me," Christen said bitterly, standing behind Tobin.

"Did someone miss me?" Tobin teased, grabbing her suitcase off the belt and setting it on the ground.

She faced Christen and sat down on top of her luggage.

"Yeah," Christen admitted, her eyes glued to her shoes.

The surprise on Tobin's face was evident. Usually Christen would tell Tobin to shut up or dodge the question altogether whenever Tobin tried to elicit some emotion out of Christen. It was safe to say that the straightforward answer caught Tobin off guard.

Tobin motioned for Christen to come closer to where she was sitting on her luggage.

"I missed you, too," Tobin said, grabbing Christen's hands and loosely swinging them around.

"Yeah?" Christen asked as she pulled her hands away and got behind Tobin's luggage.

"Yeah," Tobin sighed.

Christen started pushing Tobin's suitcase and didn't acknowledge the looks she received from others. She didn't think there was anything wrong with a grown woman being pushed around on a suitcase by another grown woman.

"How much?" Christen beamed as she swerved through the airport crowds.

"So much that I thought about writing the words 'I miss you' on a rock and throwing at your face so you would know how much it hurt to miss you," Tobin said sweetly.

Christen pushed Tobin out to the loading zone of the airport where the team vans were supposed to pick them up.

"Still should've called," Christen mumbled just loudly enough for Tobin to hear, but before Tobin could say anything, Christen was already waving to Julie who had exited the airport.

It wasn't long before their other teammates joined them outside and they were off to the hotel.

 

The day goes by with team briefings and recovery. Players are in and out of ice baths, fitness testing, and gear fitting. Dinner comes quick and the entire team is hauled to a local restaurant for quality food. Christen is sitting next to Julie with Kelley and Alex across the table. Orders are taken and drinks are poured. Everyone patiently waits for their food when someone comes up behind Christen and covers her eyes with their hands.

"Tobin, you do this every other day, I know it's you," Christen peeled the hands off her eyes and her vision slowly refocused.

"Ouch, if you were expecting someone else, I can go," the voice chuckled behind her.

"Vero!" Christen shot out of seat and latched onto her girlfriend.

"Hi there," Vero whispered into Christen's ear.

"What are you doing here? Your flight isn't supposed to land until tonight," Christen asked.

"I told the pilot that if he didn't floor it, I would beat his ass," Vero joked and brought an extra chair next to Christen's.

"Vero, nice to see you again!" Kelley greeted.

"Hey, Kelley! It's been a while. Sorry I didn't drop by last time I was in town. I hope you can forgive me. Frozen yogurt on me?" Vero asked.

"I guess I can make time for you little people, why not?" Kelley tapped her chin.

The table quickly fell into a comfortable conversation with Vero charming her way through dinner.

"Hey, Vero. How are you?" Tobin walked over to their side of the table and rested her hand on Alex's chair.

"I'm good," Vero answered frankly.

Christen noticed how Vero's eyes lost their joy and her smile became tighter.

"I'm glad to hear that. Well, I'll let you guys get back to your conversation," Tobin walked away awkwardly after receiving such a short response.

Christen wanted to know what that was about, but she's pretty sure she knew the answer so she bit her tongue and reminded herself to ask Vero about it later.

 

"Vero, that wasn't nice," Christen said, unpacking her suitcase.

"I'm sorry, but you know how I feel about her," Vero defended herself from the bed.

"She's my best friend. All I want is for you guys to at least be able to talk to each other without wanting to puke," Christen reasoned as she laid out her shoes next to the front door.

"I know. I'm sorry," Vero said.

"You've got to forget about what happened, it was a long time ago. Can you do that, for me?" Christen asked with sadness in her voice that was hardly detectable.

 

 

_"Get ready to eat my cards, Morgan," Tobin said as she shuffled the deck of playing cards in her hands._

_"Big talk from someone who lost the last four games," Alex smirked._

_The two were sitting on the floor of their hotel room going on to their fifth round of card games. Tobin sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor with Alex across from her, the forward's legs sprawled out carelessly._

_"You only won because you're like cheating or something," Tobin grumbled as she dealt the cards into three different piles._

_"Keep telling yourself that, Heath," Alex said, picking up her vibrating phone and answering the call she was receiving._

_"Where are you, Kel? We're going to start without you," Alex said into the phone._

_"Alex, I'm kind of...stuck," Kelley said on the other side of the line._

_"What does that even mean?" Alex asked and leaned back onto her palms._

_"I don't know, just forget it. I'm on my way, but is it cool if I bring a few…friends with me?" Kelley asked strangely._

_"Sure?" Alex answered somewhat unsure._

_"Alright, I'll see you in a bit," Kelley hung up._

_"What was that about?" Tobin asked as she picked up her cards and started sorting them._

_"Bad news, Tobs. Kelley's bringing a couple friends with her. Shuffle them up again," Alex said as she grabbed Tobin's cards and mixed them in with the other two piles on the floor._

_"Lex!" Tobin lunged at Alex and landed right on top of her. Alex was knocked down on her back and she tried to twist her way out from under Tobin's weight._

_"What the hell, Tobin?" Alex dropped the cards, trying to get Tobin off of her._

_"Those cards were gold, I need them back!" Tobin screamed as she laid on top of Alex's stomach, picking through the mess of cards trying to get her hand back._

_Alex stopped moving and gave up. While she let Tobin comb through the cards, she started inspecting her fingernails._

_"Uh, guys?" a voice said as the room door opened._

_Alex and Tobin's heads shot up to the door. Kelley was standing in the hallway with two other people behind her that Alex and Tobin couldn't quite make out from their positions on the floor. Alex shoved Tobin off of her and sat up._

_"Finally! Let's get started, I want to see if Tobin can beat her record of losses in one day," Alex clapped her hands together._

_"Yeah, but we're going to need to deal in two more players," Kelley said as she walked further into the room. She took a seat on the floor next to Alex, leaving the two girls she had brought with her still standing._

_Alex frowned and Tobin smiled as they laid eyes on who was joining them._

_"Hey, striker," Tobin waved._

_"Who's your friend, Press?" Alex asked, more interested in the unknown girl standing next to Christen._

_"Oh, everyone, this is Vero. Vero, this is Alex and Tobin," Christen introduced sweetly._

_"Hi," Vero said, waving to Christen's friends._

_Tobin's smile faltered, but Alex kept her cold stare focused on the newcomers._

_"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started," Alex spoke up with a slight edge in her tone._

_Christen ignored the not so warm welcome and took Vero to the small group on the floor. She sat down with Tobin on her right and Vero on her left. Alex shot Kelley a glare that would have made Hope Solo proud. Kelley gave Alex her own apologetic look._

_Tobin passed out the cards silently and the atmosphere in the room was all kinds of awkward before Alex chose to break the silence._

_"So, Vero, how did you and Christen meet?" Alex asked, picking up her cards._

_"We played on the same team in Sweden and I guess we just clicked," Vero shrugged, meeting Christen's eyes._

_Alex silently nodded her head from behind her cards._

_"Kelley, you're going last," Alex said as she put down her first card._

_Kelley began to protest, but shut her mouth when she realized she probably deserved it._

_The game went on and the awkwardness in the room fizzled out. Everyone grew more comfortable with each other and small talk turned into full blown conversation. Alex had to admit that Vero was incredibly friendly and she grew frustrated that she couldn't find a single flaw in her. Alex looked around at everyone laughing and smiling, except for Tobin, whose fleeting smile from time to time didn't go unnoticed. Luckily, Alex wasn't the only person in the room to take note of Tobin's reserved behavior._

_"Hey, you good?" Christen asked, nudging Tobin with her elbow._

_"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Tobin asked unenthusiastically._

_Christen frowned because she knew something was bothering her friend._

_"You should really hold your cards higher. It would be really easy for someone to look at your awful hand," Christen teased, taking her turn and putting her card down._

_"You little-" Tobin stopped speaking when she saw Christen's look, daring her to finish her sentence._

_"Cheater," Tobin mumbled under her breath as she took her own turn._

_"Are you going to smile now or do I have to make fun of you some more?" Christen put her hand on Tobin's thigh._

_Tobin finally smiled at the touch and Christen kept her hand there until the game finished._

_"I'm getting bored winning. Let's play some team stuff. I call Vero!" Alex said as she grabbed onto her new friend._

_Christen and Tobin looked at each other simultaneously, confirming their partnership._

_"And what the fuck am I supposed to do?" Kelley asked as the only one without a partner._

_"You can play by yourself because of that thing you did earlier," Alex said sickeningly sweet, hinting at Kelley's surprise guests._

_"A girl makes one mistake," Kelley sighs as she shuffles the deck and passes out the cards._

_"Don't worry, Vero. We're playing Tobin, we might as well be playing with our eyes closed," Alex joked as she showed Vero their cards._

_"Why is she so mean to me?" Tobin turned to Christen and pouted._

_"You shouldn't have done that, Morgan. Tobin may suck, but she's on my team and I don't give up that easily," Christen narrowed her eyes at her opponents._

_"I don't need this. I'm joining Kelley's team," Tobin tried crawling over to Kelley._

_"Park it, Heath," Christen wrapped an arm around Tobin and pulled her into her lap. Christen brought her arms around the girl and fanned out their cards in her hands, effectively trapping the older girl. Tobin and Christen discussed their cards in hushed tones. Vero kept looking at how intimate Christen was with her teammate. She pushed down her feelings for the time being._

_"How close are you and Tobin?" Vero asked as she stroked Christen's hair while the two cuddled on Christen's bed._

_"She's my best friend," Christen said with her eyes closed._

_"You've never mentioned her before," Vero said._

_Christen shrugged and snuggled deeper into her girlfriend._

_"Is there something I need to know about you two?" Vero asked cautiously, her hand stopped moving through Christen's hair._

_"What are you trying to ask me?" Christen sat up abruptly._

_"Do you have feelings for her?" Vero asked bluntly._

_"Did you really just ask me that?" Christen scoffed and got off the bed._

_"Look, Christen-"_

_"No, you don't get to talk. Do you not trust me? When I tell you that I love you, does it mean nothing to you?" Christen screamed, feeling herself tear up._

_"Should I have a reason not to trust you? Because you seemed pretty cozy with her on top of you," Vero spewed harshly as she got off the bed and stood in front of Christen._

_"Is that the kind of person you think I am?" Christen asked quietly._

_"It's a little hard to know what kind of person you are when we never get to see each other," Vero fought back._

_"I can't do this right now, I have somewhere I need to be," Christen wiped at her eyes and grabbed her phone as she headed toward the door._

_"Yeah? Where? Tobin's bed?" Vero stormed up to Christen and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her back into the room._

_"Let go of me," Christen tried to escape Vero's grip. She felt her tears resurface as Vero started twisting her arm._

_"Why? So you can run off and leave me again?" Vero laughed bitterly._

_"You're hurting me," Christen whimpered as she looked into Vero's angry eyes._

_Vero realized what she was doing and dropped Christen's arm. She backed away from the forward and watched Christen scurry onto the bed._

_"Chris, I-I don't know...I'm sorry," Vero covered her mouth with her hands._

_Christen rubbed her arm and refused to look at her girlfriend. Vero slowly walked to Christen and kept her distance when she saw the forward flinch at her every step._

_"I love you, you know that. I don't know what came over me. I just got so angry at the thought of losing you. I can fix this. Please, believe me," Vero begged, crumbling to the ground._

_Christen's tears started flowing harder and her throat closed up. She had never seen Vero like this and it scared her. But Christen wasn't one to give up on people or judge them for their mistakes and this was obviously just a mistake. She knew Vero. She knew the girl she loved and this wasn't her. Vero would never intentionally do anything to hurt her._

_Christen slowly lifted herself off the bed and crouched down next to Vero, helping her off the floor._

_"I love you, too," Christen threw her arms around Vero's neck. She held onto Vero, but for some reason, she still felt cold._

 

 

"Of course," Vero sighed and gave in.

"So if I invite her to hangout with us, you'll say?" Christen's voice trailed off as she sat down next to Vero.

"There better be alcohol," Vero said under her breath and earned herself a light shove.

"I'll say I'm excited to get to know her better," Vero reluctantly agreed to Christen's wishes.

Christen texts Tobin that night and the three make plans to go out to a place of Christen's choosing.


	9. I Hate Clubs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an awful person, but in honor of Christen's birthday here's a somewhat longish sexy-but-not-so-sexy chapter with a little drama at the end too. Happy birthday Christen motherfucking Press!

The bass was so loud it coursed through your blood. The dance floor was riddled with sweaty bodies moving carelessly up against one another. The air smelled like sex and more sex. Drinks were thrown back faster than the bartender could prepare them. Christen had deemed this downtown club as the perfect place to bond and managed to drag Tobin and Vero in with her.

They entered the club like they would've any other night and settled at a table. They picked a booth and Tobin sat alone on side while Vero and Christen slid into the other side. They make small talk for a few seconds, commenting on the club's appearance and choice of music.

“Do you remember that one night at that…club in New Orleans?” Tobin looks across the table at Christen with a grin on her face.

“Yeah, I do,” Christen smiles softly and looks down at the table.

 

 

_“Chris, can you at least tell me what the name of this place is?” Tobin asked as she reached for her blindfold._

_“No, stop! You’ll ruin the surprise,” Christen whined._

_Tobin couldn’t see, but by the tone of her voice she could tell Christen was pouting._

_“We’re here!” Christen chirped as the cab came to a halt._

_Tobin heard Christen shuffling around and waited for her to open the door. The team was heading out to celebrate their last game of the year, but Christen had told Tobin that she didn’t really feel like barhopping that night and asked if she would accompany her somewhere else. Tobin obviously couldn’t say no and that’s how she ended up blindfolded in the back of a cab._

_Christen helped Tobin out of the cab and onto the sidewalk before she took off Tobin’s blindfold._

_“Ta-da!” Christen waved at the building in front of them._

_Tobin waited for her eyes to adjust before trying to figure out where they were._

_“The Hard Wall?” Tobin read the bright neon sign on the building._

_“So, do you love it or do you love it?” Christen’s smile was so bright that it rivaled the neon sign._

_“Chris, do you know where we are?” Tobin asked._

_“Duh, I’m the one who brought you here! I know how much you love rock climbing so I asked Kelley if she knew any indoor gyms around here and she gave me the name of this place,” Christen explained._

_Tobin brought her hand to her face and shook her head._

_“Wait, what’s wrong? Aren’t you ready to have fun?” Christen’s face dropped._

_“This isn’t an indoor rock climbing gym, striker,” Tobin sighed as she bit her lip._

_“Yes it is. I specifically asked Kelley and she said-”_

_“It’s a strip club, babe,” Tobin chuckled and pointed to a few people walking into the establishment with stacks of dollar bills._

_“W-what?” Christen’s eyes widened and her face turned a bright red._

_“The ‘Hard’ Wall,” Tobin wiggled her eyebrows._

_“Tobin, I’m so sorry, I thought it was an indoor rock climbing gym and I asked Kelley and she just told me to get a cab and the driver would know exactly what I was talking about because this place has a reputation-”_

_“Calm down,” Tobin put her hand on Christen’s shoulder to stop her rambling, “it’s going to be alright.”_

_“Ok, I’ll just call another cab. Maybe if we hurry we can find the team and join in on whatever they’re doing,” Christen pulled out her phone and started typing frantically._

_“Relax, Press,” Tobin coaxed Christen into putting her phone away and intertwined their hands._

_“Tobin, what are you. Oh no, nope, nuh-uh. Tobin let go of me, we’re leaving right now,” Christen starting pulling on Tobin’s arm when the older girl started pulling her toward the front entrance._

_“It’s not a big deal and we’re already here. Let’s just see what all the fuss is about,” Tobin said trying to get Christen to oblige._

_“It is so a big deal and there’s no way I’m going in there!” Christen freed herself from Tobin’s grip and stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest._

_“Christen Press, you’ve never been to a strip club, have you?” Tobin asked a little shocked._

_“Yes, I have! I go all the time, like on a regular basis,” Christen scoffed unconvincingly._

_“Alright, so since you’re a regular this should be like any other Friday night for you,” Tobin challenged._

_“I don’t know if Vero would be-” Christen became visibly uncomfortable as she tried to think of an excuse to leave._

_“Chris, it’s not like anything is going to happen, I know you. We don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I promise it’ll be fun,” Tobin said softly after noticing the distress on the younger girl’s face._

_“I’ve just never done anything…like this before,” Christen blushed and gestured to the building._

_“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Don’t worry, I’ll be next to you the entire time,” Tobin intertwined their hands and tugged Christen into the vicinity._

_Christen was overwhelmed when she entered. It wasn’t as big as she was expecting. The entirety of the club was set in ambient lighting, the club dim enough to be scandalous, but light enough to reveal every angle of the dancers floating around. There was large velvet armchairs scattered all around with poles in between every few chairs. Girls in skimpy outfits walked around taking drink orders and accepting tips while a handful of girls were loosely dancing on the stage toward the front. It was quiet, yet loud and Christen felt relatively calm, yet exhilarated._

_“Follow me,” Tobin led Christen to a pair of seats near the front, their hands still intact._

_They sat down and Tobin released the grip she had on the forward’s hand. Christen felt an empty feeling overcome her after the loss of contact, but felt her attention being pulled away by the dancers who were performing directly in front of her. She felt her checks redden when one of the dancers made eye contact and blew a kiss her way._

_“Look at you, Press. Been in here less than 5 minutes and the ladies are already throwing themselves at you,” Tobin teased._

_“I guess,” Christen was still tense and she could feel her anxiety start to build._

_“Relax striker,” Tobin coaxed. She moved her chair closer to Christen so that they were right next to each other. She grabbed Christen’s hand again and unconsciously started to rub light patterns on Christen’s skin with her thumb._

_Christen smiled as she felt her breathing start to even out and her heart rate slow down._

_“So, what are we supposed to do now?” Christen asked shyly._

_“We sit back and enjoy the show,” Tobin pointed to the stage where it looked like the dancers were getting organized to start._

_Music started pouring over the speakers and the dancers took their positions on the poles. Tobin made silly comments throughout the entire performance that had Christen throwing her head back in laughter. She realized that this whole thing wasn’t so bad, she was actually enjoying herself. Until the dancers made their way into the crowd. Christen looked around and saw a blonde with an ass to die for feeling up some old white man. She went to turn back to her side to ask Tobin another question when she felt a hand on her shoulder._

_“Hey there, sweetie. How are you feeling tonight?” a sultry voice whispered in her ear from behind._

_Christen froze as the dancer that blew her a kiss earlier walked around her chair and stood in front of her._

_“I-uh, yeah. I’m good,” Christen managed to spit out and hoped her frank answer would deter the dancer away from her._

_Tobin watched from her seat with a small smirk on her face and had to bite the inside of her cheek to stiffen the laugh she felt bubbling in her chest after seeing how awkward Christen was acting._

_“Fuck, you’re so cute. Wanna join me?” the dancer looked at Christen through hooded eyes and put her hands on either arms of Christen’s seat, effectively trapping the forward._

_“N-no, I’m good- I am so good right here,” Christen leaned further back into her chair and tried to keep her eyes off of the girl in front of her._

_“There’s nothing to be afraid of, babe. Besides, you’re going to be doing all the work anyway,” the girl slid her hand down Christen’s arm and pulled her out of her seat._

_Tobin’s face changed from amused to annoyed when she heard the girl use the name of endearment. She tried to push down the anger she started to feel and put on a fake smile._

_“Tobin! Tobin, please I don’t-” Christen looked back at Tobin with pleading eyes and Tobin instantly shot out of her seat, her body moving on its own._

_Christen was dragged onto the stage and froze as she was gently shoved into a chair placed directly under the spotlight. She felt her palms start to sweat and her leg started bouncing uncontrollably watching the dancer walk around the stage._

_“We’ve got a special treat for you tonight! It’s rookie Tuesday and you know what that means!” the girl yelled into the microphone and the place went wild._

_Christen felt the blood pounding in her ears and she was only to catch a few words of what the girl was telling the crowd. She heard the words “amateur,” “giving,” and “lap dance.” She was trying to calm herself down, but her head started to spin when she saw a familiar figure climbing the stairs to the stage. The figure looked like it was speaking to the girl and after a few seconds of conversation, the dancer nodded her head before turning back to the crowd._

_“Well folks, looks like you’re in for an extra special night,” the dancer smirked as she made her way off the stage._

_Christen saw the figure approach her and she had to squint her eyes to blind herself from the light that was shining down on her. Christen let out an internal sigh of relief when she saw Tobin kneeling in front of her, but her body was still in mild shock from being in such an uncomfortable situation._

_“Get up,” Tobin helped Christen off the chair and took her place. Christen realized what was going on and turned around to run off the stage, but she felt fingers wrapped around her wrist._

_“Trust me,” Tobin whispered as she pulled Christen into her lap. She spread Christen’s legs so that the younger girl was straddling her with her back to the audience._

_Tobin put her hands on Christen’s waist and looked up at her with warm eyes, “You have to calm down. I need you to focus on my voice, Chris.”_

_“Just breathe,” Tobin whispered into Christen’s ear as she pulled Christen’s body closer._

_Christen found herself closing her eyes and tuning out every noise that wasn’t Tobin’s silky voice. She followed Tobin’s instructions, taking deep shaky breaths and resting her forehead against the girl’s beneath her._

_“I’m right here, striker,” Tobin coaxed as she ran her hands up Christen’s torso. Christen felt her heart start to race for an entirely different reason._

_“Are you alright?” Tobin pushed Christen’s body back a little and brought her hand up to Christen’s cheek._

_Christen’s eyes opened and she melted into Tobin’s touch when she saw those caring brown eyes searching her face for something. She nodded her head slowly and flashed Tobin a small smile before burying her face in Tobin’s neck. She felt strong arms wrap around her like she had a hundred times before and her smile widened._

_“Come on! Get it started already!” a slurred voiced shouted from the crowd._

_Tobin glared daggers at the audience, but was met with more heckling and shouting._

_“What do you say? Wanna give them a show?” Tobin asked as Christen moved away from Tobin’s neck and came face to face with her. Tobin wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she tried to lighten the mood. Tobin could see the panic in Christen’s eyes and quickly swept in to keep it from getting worse._

_“You trust me, right?” Tobin said gently as she grabbed Christen’s hand once more._

_“I just…I can’t d-do this,” Christen choked on her own words and averted her eyes to the floor._

_“Hey, I know this is out of your comfort zone, but remember, I’m right here,” Tobin dipped her head to catch Christen’s eyes._

_And in that moment, she doesn’t know what compels her to do it, but she nods her head hesitantly. There could be fans in the audience, someone could record the whole thing and post it online for the world to see. And still, for some reason, she doesn’t care._

_Christen could see Tobin was having trouble deciding what to do with her hands. Her breath hitched when Tobin’s hands finally settled on her hips._

_“Can I?” Tobin asked permission to make sure she wasn’t crossing any boundaries._

_“Yeah,” Christen sighed._

_“You can’t be afraid to let go, Christen,” Tobin said quietly before she tightened her grip around Christen’s hips and used her hands to help guide Christen’s movements._

_At first Christen is shy, the sway of her body is so subtle that it takes a moment for Tobin to appreciate the way she moves. She shamelessly lets her eyes roam over Christen’s physique._

_Christen moves her hips in figure eight motions and Tobin can’t take her eyes off her. Tobin grips Christen's hips with her hands and follows the motion of the way they move on her lap. A blush rises to Tobin's cheeks when she realizes she can’t stop herself from getting aroused. Her body seemed fine tuned to Christen's movements._

_Christen’s movements are painfully slow, slow enough that Tobin can appreciate the preciseness of it. The way her top rides up to reveal smooth skin when she raises her arms over her head, the way her own lips part when she drops her body down, the way she slides a hand down Tobin's thigh as she moves. Tobin revels in every teasing twist and turn of the forward's sculpted body against her own. The friction was enchanting and every nerve in Tobin's body sparked to life._

_Tobin’s skin was burning up, the heat between her thighs and her chest pressed against Christen's was enough to have her panting breathlessly. She hears a few hollers from the crowd, mostly drunk men, and it brings her back to reality. But only for a moment._

_Tobin wanted to lift a hand to cover her face, try to hide some of her embarrassment, but she knew she couldn't fight her urge to touch the girl above her even if she were sitting on her own hands. After years of imagining what it would be like to feel Christen’s touch, she feels her self control slipping from her grasp with every passing second._

_Tobin moved her hands off of Christen’s hips and dug her fingers into the seat below her. She had to actively force herself from grinding upwards. It gave Christen a little confidence and her movements became bolder, the way Tobin's breaths were coming out ragged beneath her and how Tobin jolted upright when she dragged her hand down her arm. Tobin’s head drops back against the chair and she senses Christen smirking above her._

_“Is this ok?” Christen asks, but it sounds as though she already knows the answer._

_Tobin grits her teeth to keep herself from ripping Christen's clothes off and showing her exactly how ok it is._

_"Chris," Tobin growls._

_Christen hears the music stop playing through the speakers and the crowd applaud. She stops her movements and tries to catch her breath. The dancer who had originally dragged Christen onstage comes back and stops the segment. She's saying something about the next show in 10 minutes, but Christen isn't really listening. She ignores everything around her and focuses on Tobin, whose eyes are still clenched shut._

_"Tobin," Christen whispers trying to get Tobin to open her eyes. Tobin slowly flutters her eyes open, looking directly at Christen._

_Christen has to swallow the animal-like sound she feels rising in her throat when she looks into Tobin's eyes. Gone were the honey colored orbs that she felt safe gazing into. Instead, Christen was looking into pools of black swirling with raw passion and she felt a wave of arousal shoot through her body._

_“I didn’t know you had it in you, Press,” Tobin chuckled in between labored breaths._

_"I...W-we should go," Christen’s voice trembled as reality hit her hard. The weight of what she had just done came crashing down on her and she removed herself from Tobin's lap without waiting for a response._

_“Chris, wait!” Tobin yelled as she ran after the younger girl who had made her way off the stage and was already half way to the exit._

_Christen felt her eyes start to water as she passed the bouncer and was hit with a gust of fresh air. She knew this would affect their friendship and she knew that tonight had made it clear that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to run from her feelings, but she didn’t care. She suppressed every thought that was going through her mind and flagged down a taxi instead._

_“Press, could you just stop for one second?” Christen heard footsteps behind her just as a taxi was pulling up by the sidewalk._

_She ignored Tobin and slipped into the cab. She was about to shut the door, but Tobin caught the door before she could._

_“Alright, striker. Have it your way,” Tobin muttered as she climbed in after her and slammed the door shut._

_Christen gives the driver the address of their hotel and says nothing more. She doesn’t dare look at Tobin; she just stares out of the window._

_“We’re going to have to talk about this,” Tobin says nonchalantly._

_“There’s nothing to talk about. We went to a strip club and had a little fun, that’s it,” Christen says with a straight face._

_“That’s it?” Tobin asks skeptically._

_“Yeah. Conversation over,” Christen pulled out her phone and started texting._

_“Sure, striker. Whatever you want,” Tobin rolls her eyes and hides the pang she feels in her heart._

_The tension in the air is palpable as both girls sit on opposite sides of the vehicle and pay no mind to the other._

_Tobin breaks the silence, “Just let me know if you’re alright and I’ll leave you alone.”_

_“I’m fine,” Christen’s heart soars when she hears the concern in the midfielder’s voice, but she doesn’t let it show._

_“Are we alright?” Tobin asks cautiously._

_Christen bites her lip to hide the small smile forming on her face, “Yeah, we’re alright.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Tobin apologizes. She shouldn’t have ever suggested going into the club. She shouldn’t have let the lap dance keep going. She knows she’s made a mistake._

_“You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t force me to do that, Tobin. Besides, it was…fun,” Christen admits with a light blush as she plays with her hands in her lap._

_Tobin looks at Christen and just admires the way the street lights illuminated her silhouette against the night sky. Christen feels Tobin’s gaze on her, but keeps her eyes fixated on her hands. They don’t talk for the remainder of the cab ride. When they arrive at the hotel, Tobin still exits the taxi first and jogs to Christen’s side to open the door for her and she still pays the taxi driver for the both of them. They don’t bring it up again, but that night stills floats around in the back of their minds, a memory they know they will never be able to erase._

 

 

“I’m guessing by the creepy smiles on your faces that you had a good time?” Vero asked with a slight edge in her voice.

“Something like that,” Tobin cleared her throat awkwardly.

Christen scowled at Vero, but let it go because she knew that she needed to change the topic conversation before her girlfriend asked more questions about that night. She had no idea why, but every time she tried to get Vero and Tobin engage with each other, a distressing tension filled the air. She tried to bring up a subject that she could use as common ground for the two of them, but even then, the interaction was choppy and unacquainted at best. She considered the idea that maybe she was the problem, that maybe if she gave them some time alone they would become more familiar with each other.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” Christen said suddenly as she stood up and made her way toward the restrooms.

“Thanks a lot, Press,” Tobin muttered under her breath.

Vero and Tobin shot each other fake smiles as they looked around the bar, trying to avoid eye contact. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Tobin took a leap of faith and spoke up.

"So, how's your team doing?" Tobin asked Vero over the music.

"It has its ups and downs, you know how it is," Vero answered briefly.

Tobin nodded her head and couldn’t help but wonder how she got stuck in this painful situation. There she was, sitting across her best friend's girlfriend while said best friend had left her to fend for herself. She had genuinely been trying to rid the tension between them, but wasn't having much luck. She wanted to be friends with Vero like Alex and Kelley were, but Vero wasn't giving her much to work with.

"Do you want a drink-"

"Yes," Tobin quipped.

"How do you take it?" Vero asked as she scooted out of their booth.

"I'll just have a water," Tobin said.

"Sure," Vero said.

Tobin tapped her fingers on the table while she waited for either Vero or Christen to get back. Five minutes passed and Tobin couldn't spot Vero at the bar. Tobin sighed, figuring Vero probably found someone more interesting to talk to.

"Where's Vero?" Christen asks as she slips into the booth, across from Tobin. She takes one last look in her compact mirror before stowing it away in her purse.

"She went to go get us some drinks," Tobin said.

"Oh," Christen sounded off. Tobin saw a flash of worry in her eyes appear just as quickly as it disappeared.

"I don't know what you're worried about, but Vero hasn't been gone that long. She'll be back soon, don't stress about it," Tobin offered trying to ease Christen’s concerns.

"Yeah, you’re right. I'm fine," Christen flashed Tobin a fake smile, trying to pass Vero off as her source of worry.

Tobin and Christen continued their conversation for another ten minutes until Vero stumbled back over to their booth.

"S-sorry I took so long. There was a tequila-shot competition going on and I had to win," Vero slurred with a glass in her hand, plopping down next to Christen.

"Oh, here Tobin! A glass of virgin H2O just for y-you," Vero slid the glass across the table to Tobin and put her arm around Christen.

Christen rolled her eyes at how much of a lightweight Vero was and tried to put some space in between them. Tobin, on the other hand, couldn't help but find the entire situation a little funny. She loved observing people when they got drunk, but she started enjoying herself a little less when she saw Christen grow uncomfortable.

"Vero, can we please not do this right now?" Christen hissed when Vero tried to kiss her neck.

"Why? I know you want me," Vero smirked and pulled Christen closer.

"Stop it," Christen grimaced when she smelled the alcohol on Vero's breath. She unhooked her girlfriend's arm from around her shoulder and shot Tobin an apologetic look. Tobin seemed unfazed by everything and unfazed she should be. She had managed to endure years of Kelley O’Hara’s drunken escapades. Nothing scared her anymore.

Tobin grabbed her glass of water when she felt her throat start to dry out from the humidity in the club. She messed around with the liquid floating in the cup before chugging the whole thing in three gulps. It wasn't until her second swig that she sensed something was wrong. Her throat started to burn and her taste buds were washed over with a bitter taste. Tobin's face turned a deep shade of red as she started coughing violently. She spewed the liquid out of her mouth and grabbed her throat.

"Tobin!" Christen shoved Vero out of the booth and rushed over to Tobin. Tobin gestured to the cup while she tried to stop coughing. Christen eyed the cup briefly and her first instinct was to turn to Vero.

"What's in the drink?" Christen asked, grabbing Vero and dragging her out of the booth.

"I don't know," Vero shrugged.

"Answer me when I ask you a question! What the fuck did you give her?" Christen yelled, her anger building.

"Water and vodka," Vero answered truthfully.

"What is wrong with you? You know she doesn't drink alcohol. I told you what she went through," Christen shoved Vero away and made sure Tobin was calming down.

"Relax, I was just trying to have a little fun. I mean, you would think an alcoholic would be able to hold down a weak vodka," Vero smirked.

That was the final straw. Something snapped inside of her. Christen couldn't take it anymore. She swung her hand and made contact with Vero's cheek. The sound echoed in Christen's ears as she watched Vero grab her cheek, the skin turning red.

"Chris-" Tobin stood up and tried to interject, but was shut down.

She had sat in awkward silence as she watched the couple argue. She had kept her mouth shut up until now, but things had gone too far.

"No," Christen silenced Tobin with her hand, signaling for the midfielder to stay in her seat and turned to face Vero.

"Don't you dare call her that," Christen growled, fisting Vero's shirt tightly.

"We're leaving, Tobin. Let's go," Christen felt her eyes start to water, but composed herself quickly. She let go of Vero and helped Tobin out of the booth. They left Vero standing by the now empty table and walked out of the club. She stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and hailed a cab for the two of them. She opened the door and gestured for Tobin to enter first.

"Chris, I don't think-" Tobin was hesitant to get into the taxi.

"Where do you think you're going?" Vero yelled as she walked up to the cab. She had followed the pair out of the club and struggled to keep her footing on the pavement.

"Tobin, get in the cab. I'll be right back," Christen softly pushed Tobin into cab before she could protest and shut the door.

"Why shouldn't I call her that? That's what she is, right? Someone who chooses to turn to alcohol when things get hard," Vero sauntered up to Christen.

"Like what you're doing right now is any better?" Christen turned around to face her drunk girlfriend.

"See that's the difference between me and her. I drink because my life is perfect. Great job, fun nights, and a beautiful girlfriend. She drinks because she has nothing. Sure, she's got awards and medals and trophies, but none of it matters when she has nobody to love," Vero said smugly.

"You're wrong. That was a long time ago, she's not like you. Her friends, her family. They all love her. I love her. You don't know anything about her. You're the one with nothing. You were so threatened by my best friend that you felt the need to potentially enable her after she spent years staying sober. You're spineless and you're weak," Christen rebutted.

"I may be weak, but at least I'm not a coward, Christen Press," Vero shot back.

Christen gave Vero one last look before storming off into the cab and shutting the door.

"Where to?" the taxi driver's voice floated into the back of the cab.

"Anywhere but here," Christen snipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reading the lap dance scene you probably understand why I don't write sexy stuff. By far the hardest thing I've ever had to write. Good news is I'm 95% done with the next chapter so that'll be out soon, yay! Bad news is I only have a few more chapters planned out for this story until it comes to an end. However, I would love to continue writing it if I can so hit me up if you have any ideas!


	10. I Hate Feelings

The cab ride is silent as Christen settles on taking Tobin back to the hotel. Christen has the room to herself for the night and lets Tobin have one of the beds so she can keep an eye on her. She watches as Tobin slips off her shoes and climbs under the covers. Christen joins her on the edge of the bed, but has her back to Tobin’s face.

“I’m going to get you some aspirin. I’ll, uh, be right back,” Christen clears her throat and makes her way to the bathroom before Tobin can refuse.

She shuts the door and starts looking through her makeup bag for the small bottle of pills. She finally finds it and begins to unscrew the lid. She twists and turns, but she can’t get it open. Her hands turn red from her grip and she feels herself getting worked up. Every second seems longer, every breath feels heavier, and every tear tastes saltier. She can’t do it and she throws the bottle at the wall sending a crash through the room as she slides her body down the door, landing on the floor. Her hands snake their way into her hair and she can’t stop the sobs that escape her mouth. She tries to keep her voice down by putting a hand over her mouth, but it does little to help.

She had lost her safety net. She lost the trust and comfort she had spent years building. All it took was her best friend and a watered down vodka to snatch everything away from her. Her head was pounding and her vision was still blurry no matter how hard she blinked.

“Chris! Christen, please answer me. Don’t do anything stupid, just let me know that you’re alright,” Tobin had been pounding on the door for the last thirty seconds.

Christen opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She let her head fall back against the door and let the tears fall. She closed her eyes as hard as she could and tried to block everything out. The last few hours wouldn’t stop replaying in her head and all she wanted was for it to stop. She didn’t want to be reminded of how scared she was to leave Tobin and Vero alone when she had gone to the bathroom. Or of how she slapped her girlfriend across the face. Or of how disgusted she was with herself when she realized that Vero was right. She was a coward. She had always been a coward.

“Christen,” Tobin took a shaky breath and her voice cracked on the other side of the door, “I’m sorry.”

Christen clenched her eyes harder and the tears fell faster.

“I’ll go find Vero. I can bring her back. I can fix this, just-” Tobin paused to catch her breath.

“Tell me what I need to do to fix this,” her voice gentle as it traveled through the door.

Tobin sees the door knob rattle and steps back to let Christen open the door. It swings open slightly as Tobin pushes her way further into the bathroom. Christen had shifted to one of the adjacent walls and had her knees pulled up to her chest, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Tobin took a seat next to Christen and waited for her to speak.

“This isn’t your fault,” Christen mumbles quietly.

Tobin whips her head toward Christen and examines her blood shot eyes and flushed cheeks.

“Yes it is and I’m sorry-”

“Why are you always doing that?” Christen laughs menacingly as she finally locks eyes with Tobin.

“Doing what?” Tobin asks, feeling small.

“Apologizing! You’re always taking responsibility for everything. Newsflash Tobin, you weren’t the one who ordered the vodka or got jealous of your girlfriend’s best friend or broke up my relationship!” Christen’s voice grew louder.

“Are you insane? Everything that happened tonight was because of me! I should’ve stopped talking to you the day you told me you had a girlfriend, but I didn’t because I’m selfish. Fuck, I’m so stupid,” Tobin rubbed her hands down her face.

A few more moments of silence passed.

“It hurts,” Christen whispers as she places her head on Tobin’s shoulder and wraps her arms around Tobin’s bicep.

“I’m sorry,” Tobin whispers back.

More silence.

“I was a bad girlfriend,” Christen admitted.

“Chris-“

“I was. I led her on. I knew my heart wasn’t in it anymore, but I kept acting like it was. I was too scared to break it off and she knew that,” Christen said with a scratchy voice.

“What are you going to do?” Tobin asked, wondering if Christen regrets letting Vero go.

“I don’t know,” Christen answered honestly,

“What do you want to do?” Tobin prodded.

“I want to…my phone,” Christen stated abruptly. Tobin’s stomach dropped as she felt Christen’s weight lift off of her body and watched Christen get up to retrieve her phone from the bed.

Christen returned with her phone in hand and sat down next to Tobin again, but this time a little further than before. She scrolled to her contacts until she reached Vero’s number. Tobin watched as Christen’s finger hovered over the green call symbol.

“Do you want to be alone?” Tobin swallowed her feelings and started to stand.

“No, stay. This will only take a second, I promise,” Christen grabbed Tobin’s wrist and pulled her back onto the floor to stop her from leaving.

Christen taps the green icon, but instead of letting it go, she holds it down. Tobin’s heart rate starts to pick up as she watches the options box pop up on the screen and Christen tap the trashcan symbol.

“God, that felt so good,” Christen let out.

“Are you sure about this?” Tobin gulped.

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life,” Christen said.

“Chris, you should think about this. You’re really upset right now and you could regret this in the morning,” Tobin advised.

Christen ran her hands through her hair, “I know what I’m doing. We’ve been having problems for a while. I should’ve done this a long time ago.”

“I was the reason for those problems, wasn’t I?” Tobin asked, the dejection in her voice clear.

“Sometimes you were. But other times, it was her. Or me. I think we were just so comfortable with each other for so long and with the long distance we just- grew apart. And we knew it. We just didn’t want to acknowledge it. I think I was trying to hold onto something that wasn’t there anymore. It’s alright though, someone once told me that heartbreak isn’t always a bad thing,” Christen smiled softly.

“What happens now?”

“Can we go to bed? I’m really tired,” Christen says.

“Yeah.”

Tobin gets up slowly and helps Christen to her feet. The pair walks out of the bathroom and Tobin slips into the spare bed, leaving Christen to her own bed for the night. Christen peels back the covers on her bed and lies down on the mattress. She waits until she hears Tobin’s body still before reaching over and turning off the lights. Christen shuts her eyes and tries to drown out the cricket noises coming from outside.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes pass and Christen is still wide awake. She takes a deep breath and tries to talk herself out of what she’s about to do next. It’s reckless, it’s toxic, and given everything she’s been through with Tobin, it’s probably unhealthy for their relationship. But she does it anyway.

She throws back her covers and swings her legs over the edge of the mattress. Her feet hit the carpet with a soft thud and she makes the three foot journey over to Tobin’s bed. It’s dark and the only light is the natural glow of the moon coming in through the window. She can’t see much, but manages to crawl into the older girl’s bed without saying a word. She lies down with her eyes staring at the ceiling and knows Tobin’s awake by the way the midfielder’s body tenses when her hand accidently brushes past her arm. Still, Tobin stays with her back to Christen.

“Hey, Chris.”

“Yeah?” Christen turns her head to the side to trace the outline of Tobin’s body courtesy of the moonlight.

“The, um, aspirin. You didn’t, like, take too many of those, right?” Tobin asks carefully.

“No, Tobin,” Christen answers slightly amused.

“Ok, good.” Christen could hear the smile on Tobin’s face.

Christen lets out a small chuckle.

“What?” Tobin asks confused.

“Even when I’m supposed to be taking care of you, you still manage to put everything aside and focus on my problems,” Christen said.

“It was only one drink, Chris. Even if I had drunk the whole thing, nothing would have happened,” Tobin teases.

Christen frowns at how easily Tobin was able to brush it off, “Still.”

“Hey, Chris?” Tobin speaks up again.

“Yeah?”

This time Tobin turns her body to face Christen, “How did Vero know about my drinking thing?”

“I told her,” Christen said, the guilt evident in her voice.

“How did you know about my drinking thing?”

Christen didn’t reply.

“It was Alex, wasn’t it?”

Still no reply.

“Are you ok?” Christen asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Tobin sighs.

Christen spent a few seconds gathering her thoughts before saying them out loud, “Tobs, I want to do something.”

“What do you want to do?” Tobin asked.

“I want to hold you,” Christen said boldly.

 “I-uh,” Tobin stuttered.

Christen fights off a smirk as she listens to Tobin fumble over her words.

“Please. You’ve always been there for me, let me be here for you,” Christen pulls Tobin into her body and wraps her arms around the midfielder. Tobin hesitates, but slowly nods her head as she feels Christen inch even closer, eliminating any and all space between them.

Christen ghosts her hand up Tobin’s side and stops at her waist, sending goosebumps across Tobin’s skin. Tobin’s chest starts rising and falling at an alarming rate and she freezes under Christen’s light touch, unsure of what to do. But she feels her body automatically relax into Christen as the forward latches onto her.

Christen feels Tobin’s breathing start to even out and her heartbeat start to slow down. She looks down at the girl in her arms and takes a deep breath. For the first time, she doesn’t feel wrong lying in the same bed as her best friend. For the first time, she lets herself think about what it would be like to hold hands with Tobin and to have romantic candlelight dinners with Tobin. For the first time, she doesn’t run. She lets herself confront the feelings she has known about ever since she first decided to start playing this game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> progress! (that last line was a reference to chapter uno if any of you caught on)


	11. I Still Hate Kelley

Christen woke up with an empty space beside her the next morning. She couldn’t help the way her heart dropped, but she didn’t pay too much attention to it. She knew Tobin had probably gone for a morning run and figured she should start getting ready for the day ahead as well. She walked into the bathroom, but stopped when she felt something beneath her foot. She bent down to see what she stepped on and picked up the broken cap to the bottle of aspirin she had thrown against the wall last night. As she examined it, a smile broke out on her face. She had thought long and hard about what the next step for her was going to be. After arguing with herself for what seemed like hours last night, she made the decision to tell someone about her feelings. She also made the decision to do it today.

With an extra hop in her step, she got dressed and walked out of her room with a mission to complete.

 

 

Kelley grabbed two bottles of water from the case beneath her bed and tossed one over to Tobin who was leaning up against the wall. Tobin had shown up at Kelley’s door early in the morning saying that she needed someone to talk to about something. Kelley let her in as she stifled a yawn and listened to her ramble on about “overstepping boundaries” and “not wanting to mess this up.” Kelley was a little too tired to fully process what Tobin was saying so she nodded her head every once in a while to make Tobin feel like she was being heard. After a few hours Tobin had crashed on the pull out bed and Kelley went to take a shower after she couldn’t fall back asleep. When Kelley was dressed she woke Tobin up and the two went into the lobby to grab some coffee before coming back up to Kelley’s room so Kelley could talk to the midfielder properly. They were standing around when Kelley received a text and opened it.

“Who’s that?” Tobin asked as she opened her water.

“Hm? Uh, nobody,” Kelley answered, clearly distracted. She sent back a quick text and locked her phone, putting in face down on her.

Kelley ran a hand through her hair and started pacing around the room before turning toward Tobin, “Tobs, we’re pretty close right?”

“Yeah,” Tobin answers skeptically.

“You’re like one of my favorite people in the world, alright?” Kelley picked up an empty take out box from the floor and walked to the room’s door. She pulled the handle so that there was a slight opening in the door and stuffed the take out box in the opening, sort of like a makeshift doorstop.

“Okay?”

“So, if I were to do something really dumb, you would forgive me, right?” Kelley walked back into the room and stopped a few feet from Tobin.

“Sure, Kelley.”

“I’m really sorry for what I’m about to do, but it’s for your own good,” Kelley took a deep breath and stepped toward Tobin.

“No way, you are not pulling another prank on me-” Tobin turned around to find hiding, but Kelley was too quick.

Kelley wrapped her arms around Tobin’s midsection and lifted her off the ground before walking up to one of the walls of the room and placing her back down on her feet. She pinned Tobin against the wall and stripped her shirt off of her own body.

“What are you-” Tobin’s words were muffled as Kelley smashed her lips into Tobin’s.

Tobin had been shocked into paralysis and couldn’t react. She felt Kelley slobber all over her mouth and felt hands roam the sides of her torso. Tobin hadn’t heard the footsteps coming down the hall.

 

 

Christen made her way to Kelley’s room with the biggest smile on her face. She finally decided what she wanted. She finally decided who she wanted. She was finally about to say it out loud for the first time. She saw Kelley’s door propped open with an empty take out box exactly how Kelley had texted her it would be. Christen entered the room, like Kelley texted her she could, eager to talk to her best friend.

“Kelley, I need to tell you something,” Christen said as she walked into the room.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her smile shattered and she felt an aching pain in her chest with every breath she took. Her face turned pale and her head started spinning.

Kelley’s head snapped up when she heard Christen, but Tobin stood frozen against the wall with her lips slightly parted.

Christen took in their appearances. How they were gasping for air, how Tobin’s lips were swollen, and how Kelley’s hands were clutching onto Tobin’s waist.

“I’m sorry, I’ll…leave you two alone,” Christen spit out as her voice cracked and she spun around to exit the room. She ran out of the hotel room letting the door slam behind her as she started down the hallway. She felt her stomach churning and wanted to kick the shit out of something.

“Fuck,” Kelley whispered as she removed her hands from Tobin’s body.

“Stay here, Tobin,” Kelley walked toward the door, but looked over her shoulder to make sure Tobin wouldn’t follow her.

Kelley chased after Christen and grabbed her by the shoulder, “Press, stop.”

“How could you?!” Christen shrugged Kelley’s hand off of her and shoved her back a few steps.

“How could I what?” Kelley crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

“That’s rich,” Christen scoffed.

“Excuse me?” Kelley placed her hands on her hips.

“Are you seriously going to stand there and pretend like what I saw with my own two fucking eyes didn’t just happen?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I needed your permission to do whatever the fuck I wanted, Press. Besides, I thought you would be happy about this. In fact, you should be thanking me. With me in the picture Tobin will finally get out of your hair,” Kelley smirked.

“That’s…That’s not what this is about,” Christen’s face fell and her throat started to close.

“Then what is this about, Christen? She’s not going to wait around for you and it just so happens I’m actually willing to give her what she deserves,” Kelley waited for an answer.

Christen looked down at her shoes, the floor, anywhere except for Kelley’s eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” Kelley let out a bitter laugh.

“Why are you doing this?” Christen asked as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“Why do you care?” Kelley pushed.

“Because I-” Christen tried to answer, but Kelley kept going.

“I don’t remember you caring when you were screaming Vero’s name while she shoved her fingers up your-”

And for the second time in the past 24 hours Christen let her palm leave a lasting mark on the skin of someone she loved.

“Ok, ow!” Kelley grabbed her cheek and rubbed the reddening area.

“I don’t even know who you are anymore,” Christen whispered.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Kelley said harshly as she held her jaw.

“I like her,” Christen sighed.

“You…what?” Kelley’s face lit up.

“I like her. I really like her,” Christen let her tears fall down her face.

The next thing she knew she was tackled to the floor and was looking up at Kelley’s face hovering over her.

“Chris!” Kelley laughed and threw her body onto Christen’s. She wrapped her arms around the forward and buried her head into Christen’s neck.

“Are you literally crazy? Do I have to call the team psychologist? Get off of me!” Christen tried to push Kelley off of her, but she wouldn’t budge.

“I can’t believe this! I’m so proud of you! And thank you for admitting it when you did because it was getting a little hard to keep that up,” Kelley brushed herself off as she got to her feet and helped Christen up.

“What are yo-Kelley, what is going on?” Christen asked confused.

“I know you’re probably going to punch me after I tell you, but hear me out!” Kelley said carefully.

Christen had never been so confused in her life, but she went with whatever Kelley was up to.

“Ok?” Christen let her continue.

“Wait, let’s go to your room!” Kelley grabbed Christen’s arm and pulled her down the hallway.

“What about Tobin?” Christen said as they neared her room.

“Crap. You go back to your room and I’ll meet you there in like 5 minutes,” Kelley dropped Christen’s arm and ran the opposite way back to her own room.

Christen stumbles into her room and just sits on the edge of her bed, waiting for Kelley to get back.

Not even 3 minutes later, Kelley slams the door to Christen’s room open and throws herself down next to the forward.

“Tobs…it’s…t-taken…care of,” Kelley tries to say as she catches her breath.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on because I’m really getting the urge to punch you,” Christen crossed her arms over her chest.

“Alright, alright! You caught me. I didn’t kiss Tobin for real,” Kelley admitted, turning so she was facing Christen and tucking her legs under her body.

“Oh, that makes sense! The two of you weren’t actually pushed up against a wall sucking face, it was just a giant hologram!” Christen says sarcastically.

“No, I mean I kissed her, but it didn’t mean anything. It was like kissing my brother,” Kelley grimaces.

“That still doesn’t explain why you did it!” Christen stood up from her place on the bed and faced Kelley with angry eyes.

“I was trying to send you a message!” Kelley waved her hands in the air like it was obvious.

“That you like Tobin?!” Christen almost yelled at the defender.

“NO,” Kelley rolled her eyes, “that if you didn’t hurry your little ass up you might not get another chance with her.”

The anger in Christen’s eyes faded and her expression softened.

“Yeah, I get that now,” Christen whispered.

“Are you mad at me?” Kelley asked as she twiddled her thumbs.

“No,” Christen sat back down next to her.

"Sorry I slapped you," Christen apologized sheepishly. 

"I've had worse," Kelley shrugged, "Sorry I said all that mean stuff to you."

"Hey, that's acting right?" Christen smiled and lightly knocked her shoulder against Kelley's.

"I was pretty good, wasn't I?" Kelley chuckled.

"For sure! I almost believed you were a psycho bitch for a minute," Christen joked. 

"It's all in the eyes," Kelley narrowed eyes playfully.

Christen shook her head and leaned in to give Kelley a hug.

Kelley smiled and returned the embrace with intensity. Christen giggled when she felt Kelley’s arms squeezing the life out of her and squealed when Kelley tipped them over onto the mattress. After the laughter subsided Kelley sat up abruptly.

“This is so great! Your brain finally caught up to your feelings! I’m so excited for you! What should I call you guys? Tristen? You don’t mind if her name goes first right?” Kelley started rambling.

“Kelley-“

“Fine, your name can go first,” Kelley said.

“Kelley,” Christen sat up and cut Kelley off.

“What?” Kelley raised an eyebrow.

“There are two people in a relationship,” Christen said.

“Your point?”

"My point is I might have realized my feeling for her, but she doesn't know that. And what if she doesn't even like me anymore?" Christen asked, the insecurity evident in the slight tremble in her voice.

"Wow, it's a good thing you're pretty," Kelley said with a straight face.

Christen was not amused and shoved Kelley off the bed.

"Chris, the girl's been pining over you for years now! I think you're good," Kelley popped back up with her hair all over the place and rested her chin on the edge of the bed. 

"I don't know. This is just happening so fast. How do I even tell her?" Christen asked.

"Instead of telling her, why don't you show her?" Kelley suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Christen sat on the idea for a few seconds, "I'm listening."

"Yes! Plan Get-The-Girl, Christen Press edition, is a go!" Kelley put her hand in the air for a high five.

"Whoa, how many editions are there?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i only have a few more chapters planned out in my head guys so unless somebody wants to throw some ideas my way, this is most likely going to be the third to last chapter :(


End file.
